FOREIGN FLAG VESSELS UNDER CONTROL
OF THE WAR SHIPPING ADMINISTRATION LOST OR
DAMAGED DURING WORLD WAR II. *=Includes info from Ships of ESSO Fleet

This section contains a brief summary and account of 67 Panamanian and Honduran flag
merchant ships lost or damaged during World War II upon which American Merchant Seamen
and U.S. Naval Armed Guard were lost or wounded. These ships were under the control of
the War Shipping Administration representing the Government of the United States.
Most of these ships, freighters and tankers, were interned in a U.S. port and were
eventually taken over by the U.S. Government under an Executive Order, Public Law #101.
These ships were interned in a U.S. port at the outbreak of hostilities in Europe and
during the years preceding America's entry into the war.
They were eventually allotted to the U.S. Maritime Commission who turned them over to
the War Shipping Administration for operation. The War Shipping Administration in turn
assigned them to American steamship companies under a General Agency Agreement. Upon
activation, these ships were registered under the Flag of Panama.
In addition to these ships, the War Shipping Administration bareboat and time chartered
many other ships that were already registered under the Panamanian or Honduran Flag.
These ships were owned by American steamship operators such as United Fruit, Standard
Oil of New Jersey, and Socony Vacuum Oil Company.
These ships were manned by Merchant Seamen of many nationalities including Americans.
Many of them had U.S. Naval Armed Guard aboard.
Only ships carrying American seamen as part of the crew and/or a U.S. Naval Armed
Guard contingent are listed. In addition, I have listed the names of all those American
Merchant Seamen who were lost or wounded on these ships. These men were never listed as
lost by the U.S. Coast Guard as they were crew members on a foreign flag vessel.
The following is not a complete list of the foreign flag ships lost or damaged during
World War II that were under the control of the War Shipping Administration. There were
many others lost that did not carry any Americans in the merchant crew but did have
U.S. Naval Armed Guard aboard. Data on these ships was not available.

The SS AFRICANDER, ex Italian SS AUSSA, was taken over by the U.S. Government under an
Executive Order, Public Law 101, at the port of New York on September 11, 1941. The War
Shipping Administration allotted the ship to the Waterman Steamship Agency to be operated
under a GAA agreement at the port of New York on October 20, 1941.
The SS AFRICANDER was attacked by German aircraft on September 13, 1942 at 1550 GCT,
about 60 miles south of Spitzbergen, while en route from Loch Ewe, Scotland to Archangel,
USSR, with a cargo of Machinery plus six tanks and 5 planes on deck, while proceeding in
Convoy PQ 18 (#94).
At 1550 GCT, two torpedoes dropped from torpedo planes at an altitude of about 150
feet, struck the ship on the starboard side aft of #3 hold causing the ship to settle
slowly by the stern. Engines were secured at once. There was no fire. Stearing gear was
put out of commission by the explosion and the water tight bulkheads were ruptured. The
ship went down by the stern within a few minutes of the attack.
There were no casualties among the merchant crew of 35 men. All hands abandoned ship in
lifeboats despite machine gun fire from aircraft. The survivors were picked up by escort
vessels which took them to Scotland via Iceland. At Scotland they embarked on HMS QUEEN
MARY arriving Boston on October 15, 1942.
The AFRICANDER had departed New York on April 11th and arrived the Clyde River via
Halifax on May 9th. She left the Clyde on May 18th and proceeded to Iceland arriving
there on May 25th. She remained anchored there until August 3rd when she was ordered back
to the Clyde and then to Loch Ewe. On September 2nd she left Loch Ewe in Convoy PQ 18.
The Master of this ship, Bjarne A. Lia, died while he was Master of the Panamanian flag
tanker, SS BOSTONIAN. On August 14, 1944, there was a Benzol gas leak in the pumproom
endangering the safety of the ship and crew. He descended into the pumproom to plug the
leak but he was overcome by the fumes and died. For this valiant effort, he was awarded
the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal posthumously on November 14, 1944.
Also on board was an Armed Guard (U.S.N.) contingent of 11 men. They all survived.

The SS ALCEDO, a coal burning freighter, under the Panamanian flag, was taken over by the
U.S. in the port of New York on July 21, 1941 at 1200 hours. This action taken under
Public Law #101. This vessel was idle until January 17, 1942 when she was turned over to
the Marine Transport Line for operation under a GAA contract. She was subsequently operated
by two other companies stated above before she was lost.
The SS ALCEDO was torpedoed by the German U-1022 (Hans-Joachim Ernst) at 2300 local time on
February 28,1945, while en route from Loch Ewe, Scotland to Reykjavik, in Convoy UR-155
(#22), with a cargo of 1767 tons of Army and Navy supplies plus U.S. mail. Position of
the sinking was 64-00N./22-46 W.
The ALCEDO had departed Boston on January 20, 1945 and arrived Belfast, Northern
Ireland on February 6 to take bunkers. Leaving Belfast on February 11 she arrived Loch
Ewe the next day and departed Loch Ewe on February 22nd.
The ship's complement consisted of 32 crew members, 5 U.S. Naval Armed Guard,
and 1 Navy security officer. Three crew members were lost and 8 injured. One of those lost
was an Able Seaman who had been caught in the safety net hanging over the starboard side
and when the ship listed heavily to starboard he was trapped and drowned. Another A.B.
fell into the hole on deck which was caused by the explosion of the torpedo. The 3rd crew
member, a Messman, went down with the ship when he refused to jump overboard to be picked
up by a lifeboat. There were 3 Americans in the crew plus 15 other nationalities.
There were 5 ships plus 5 escorts in the convoy. A torpedo struck on the starboard side
between #3 and #4 hatches. The force of the explosion sheared off the mainmast and it fell
to port. The propeller shaft was broken stopping the engine. There was immediate flooding
of #4 hold causing the ship to sink by the stern, disappearing under the sea at 2325 local
time.
The ship was abandoned at 2315 under the orders of the Master in 2 boats and 2 rafts.
Survivors were picked up at 0140 March 1 by HMS HOME GUARD (T 394) and landed at Reykjavik
at 0600 the same day.

The U-1022 surrendered at the end of hostilities and was scuttled by the British in
"Operation Deadlight".

The SS ANEROID, a Panamanian flag freighter fueled by coal, was taken over by the U.S. on
September 3, 1941 at the port of Norfolk under an Executive Order. In turn the ship was
turned over to the above named steamship company by the War Shipping Administration on
September 9th for operation under a GAA contract. The ship was time-chartered to Alcoa
SS Company at the time of the loss.
The SS ANEROID was torpedoed by the German U-175 (Heinrich Bruns) on October 2, 1942 at
0500 EWT while en route from Paramaribo to Trinidad with a cargo of 3348 tons of Bauxite.
The attack took place at 8-24 N./59-12 W. which was about 130 miles off Georgetown, B.G.
On board was a complement of 40 merchant crew and 9 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. Five crew
members and one Navy gunner were lost.
At 0500 EWT a torpedo struck on the starboard side at #4 hatch just abaft the engine room.
The explosion opened a huge hole in the bulkhead between #4 hold and #5 hold causing this
hold to flood. #5 hold was empty to give the ship the proper draft to cross the Surinam
Bar. The ship sank at 0515 EWT.
During the lowering of the two port side boats, both of them got fouled up in wires hanging
from the davits. These wires had tangled in the hand rails which made further lowering
impossible. Eventually #2 boat was cleared away and launched with an unknown number of
men. After it was launched it drifted down the port side into rigging from the toppled
mainmast and #4 cargo booms, causing #2 boat to capsize throwing the occupants into the
water. They were in turn picked up by #1 boat.
As #3 boat had been safely launched, all the survivors were in the two boats. The Master,
who was in #3 boat, ordered the 3rd Mate to take charge of #1 boat. Lifeboat #3 which
contained the Master plus 24 crew members and 4 Navy men, was picked up by the Yugoslav
freighter SS IVAN at 1700 EWT on October 2nd and landed at Georgetown, B.G. Lifeboat #1,
containing 10 crew and 4 Navy men, was picked up by the Honduran SS OLAMBALA at 0800 on
October 4th and landed at Paramaribo, D.G. on October 9th.

The U-175 (Bruns) was sunk by the USCG SPENCER in position 48-40 N./21-20 W. on April 17,
1943. There were 13 members of the U-175 lost including the Captain. They were killed by
gunfire from the SPENCER.

The SS AMAPALA, was under the command of Captain Harold Christiansen, an American citizen,
who lived in Brooklyn, NY. He was an 18-year veteran of the company and had held a
Master's license for 8 years.
The SS AMPALA sailed from New Orleans on May 14, 1942 at 1300 for Cristobal and La Ceiba,
Honduras loaded with general cargo. The Master was ordered to anchor at Pilottown about
1900 that night. At 0600 on the 15th she left the anchorage and cleared Southwest Pass
around 0730.
About 1630 on the same day (15th), a submarine was seen coming up fast on the starboard
quarter, about 4 miles away. At that time the ship was making 15 knots and zigzagging.
The Master ordered a course change to put the ship's stern to the sub. After this the
Master went to the wireless room and ordered the Chief Radio Operator to send out an SOS
and SSS four times with the ship's position which was 26-40 N./88-17 W.
At 1635, the ship came under shell and machine gun fire from the U-507 (Harro Schacht).
The Chief Engineer gave the ship all the speed he could but the Master soon realized that
the sub was hitting the ship with both shell and machine gun fire. The starboard side was
being hit bad and at 1655 the ship was feeling the full effect of the attack. The shell
fire had destroyed #3 lifeboat and a Fireman had received several shrapnel wounds in the
abdomen and both legs. At 1705, the Master ordered the engines stopped and for the crew
to abandon ship. The sub continued the attack with machine gun fire.
At the time #3 boat was struck with shell fire, 5 men who were standing in it were thrown
into the water. Lifeboat #4, which had been launched first, rowed around the stern to the
starboard side and picked up these 5 men. Lifeboat #1, the Chief Mate's boat, was then
launched. The Master's boat, #2 boat, was the last to be launched. The wounded Fireman
was placed in the Master's boat. This boat was very crowded because most of the crew
had gone to the port side to get away from the machine gun fire. During the launching
of the boats shells continued to strike the ship causing severe damage.
Ten men were transferred from #2 boat into #1 boat. Shortly after the men abandoned ship,
a plane appeared about 1900 and sighted the sub. The plane attacked the sub at once
dropping a load of bombs or depth charges. The plane remained in the area for an hour
then left.
Jose Rodriguez, the badly wounded Fireman, was placed alongside the Master in the boat.
He continued to bleed badly but made no complaint of pain. He remained conscious until
1945 at which time he gave no further sign of life. He died at 2000 and was buried the
next morning in the sea.
On May 16th, a Coast Guard plane passed overhead and flew to the east to hail a fishing
schooner to direct it to the boats. At that time the AMPALA was still afloat but her
whole after deck was awash. Shortly after 1000, a Coast Guard plane appeared, landed on
the water and took two injured men to Pensacola Naval Hospital.
All of the remaining crew were picked up by the F/V GONZALEZ out of Mobile. It was at
this time that the Master decided to bury Mr. Rodriguez at sea as the schooner was so
small. The survivors were landed at Burrwood Naval Base on Sunday at 0900 on May 17th.
The ship was still afloat when the crew was picked up.
The AMAPALA was taken in tow by the USCG Boutwell but she sank while in tow about 1800
CWT on May 16th.
The AMAPALA was unarmed and sailing unescorted. Mr. Rodriguez was a Spanish citizen. He
was the only one lost.
There were 12 American citizens in the crew of the AMAPALA. Their names are listed below
but outside of the Master, there are no records of where they lived. There is no official
crew list on file for this ship only a Crew List for the Panama Canal authorities which
gives only names and nationalities. It did not list positions of the crew. Some positions
were obtained from statements given by survivors.

The MS ARRIAGA, a small oil tanker, was purchased by the Lago Petroleum Corporation
(subsidiary of Standard Oil of New Jersey) on April 2, 1942 from the Dolomite 3
Corporation, a subsidiary of Petroleum Heat and Power Company of Baltimore.
The vessel was registered under the flag of Panama but carried an American crew.
The Panamanian flag tanker, MS ARRIAGA, was torpedoed by the German U-68
(Karl-Friedrich Mertens) on June 23, 1942 at 1235 CWT while en route from Baltimore
to Aruba carrying 3100 tons of fresh water for the refinery at Aruba. She was in convoy
from Baltimore to the Yucatan Channel. At this time the escort left. This was June
18th. From that time on she was on her own.
On board was 23 merchant crew and 2 Naval Armed Guard. The Chief Engineer was killed
when the torpedo exploded directly under his room.
A torpedo struck the tanker on the port side just forward of the after house ripping a
huge hole in the side of the ship, destroying the port lifeboat, and blowing a hole in
the engine room bulkhead. Also put the steering gear out of action causing the ship to
swing 90° before stopping. The sub surfaced 100 yards from the ARRIAGA. The 2 Navy
gunners fired the 6 pound gun on the after part of the tanker with no results. The
position of the sinking was 13-08 N./72-16 W. or about 50 miles off the coast of
Colombia. The ship sank in 10 minutes.
The crew abandoned ship in the starboard boat and one raft.There were four on the raft
and they were taken aboard the lifeboat. On June 25th, the boat was taken in tow by a
Colombian fishing boat which dropped the tow near the beach of a town called Pajaro.
The crew rowed the remaining distance to the beach. The boat was then towed by a
fishing vessel to a town named Rio Hacha. At this place the crew was taken care of by
the British consul. Eventually they were taken to Barranquilla, and then by plane to
Miami.

The U-68 (Lauzemis) was sunk on April 10, 1944 north of Madeira in position 33-25
N./18-59 W. by aircraft from the USS GUADALCANAL (CVE 60). There was only one survivor
from the U-68 who was rescued by the U.S. Navy. 56 others in the crew were lost.

The Honduran flag freighter, SS BAJA CALIFORNIA, was torpedoed by the German U-84
(Horst Uphoff) at 2345 EWT on July 18, 1942 while en route frorn New Orleans to Puerto
Barrios, Guatemala with a full load of general cargo. The attack took place 40 miles NxE
from Rebecca Shoals (25-14 N./82-27 W.)
She carried a complement of 32 in the merchant crew and 5 U.S. Navy Armed Guard. Three (3)
crew members were lost and 10 hospitalized with serious injuries. The Chief Engineer
suffered multiple injuries including a broken leg.
The ship was struck by two torpedoes. The first hit at the forward end of #1 hatch on the
port side and the second hit at the forward end of #3 hatch abaft the Chief Engineer's room.
She took a port list at once. Within 10 minutes the ship had turned on its side and
disappeared.
The port boat (#2) was destroyed by the explosion. The starboard boat was launched along
with a large raft and a small donut type raft. Around noon of the next day July 19th, a
large plane circled overhead but did not see the survivors. At day-light on the 20th a
fishing schooner that had seen the flares fired just before daylight headed towards the
boat and raft. This boat stopped to tell the Master there was a small raft with one man
aboard. The fishing vessel then proceeded to the raft and picked up the man and then
returned to pick up the others from the boat and raft. The name of the fishing vessel
was SAN IGNACIO out of Cuba. Survivors were taken to the Havana Naval Station arriving
there at noon on July 21st.

The U-84 (Uphoff) was sunk August 26, 1943 by aircraft (VC-13) from the USS CORE (CVE-13)
in position 27-00 N./37-03 W. There were no survivors.

The SS Ballot left Reykjavik on March 20, 1942 in Convoy PQ13. On March 25th, a gale came up from the Northeast and by forenoon of the 26th it was blowing Force 8 with poor visibility. The gale continued to blow for the next 36 hours. By daylight of the 27th, the convoy was scattered all over the ocean. On March 28th 6 merchant ships found each other and formed a new convoy with the armed whaler Silja. Later on the 28th March a Messerschmidt 110 dropped 5 or 6 bombs, causing much damage in the engineroom. (steamleaks). The engines were stopped. According to the masters statement, half of the crew demanded to go in the lifeboats while the other half promised to stay aboard and try to bring the ship to port.
16 men abandoned the ship in the port boat. . They were picked up later by the Silja. The engineers were able to stop most of the leaks. The Ballot got underway to join the other ships, but discovered problems with the stearing gear and had to stop again to switch over to manual steering, and proceed their voyage. On the 30th two towboats brought the ship in. The ship left Murmansk in convoy QP11.
The 16 crewmembers that were picked up by the Silja. On the 29th the 16 crewmembers boarded the Induna. On the 30th in position 70-55N/37-18E the Induna was struck by a torpedo fired from the U-376. After a second torpedo the Induna sank within 30 minutes. The starboard lifeboat #1 had 32 survivors, the port lifeboat #2 had only 9 survivors, the 3rd mate of the Ballot took charge of this boat. The starboard boat #1 was picked up by a Russian minesweeper, only 17 of the 32 were still alive. The port boat #2 was picked up by an Russian patrol boat., two of them later died in a Murmansk hospital.
Of the 16 men who left the Ballot, 11 lost their lives and 5 survived. (9 Ballot crewmembers and 2 british gunners)
(For more details about the Ballot: see A Careless word.. a Needless sinking (7th edition))

The Panamanian flag tanker, SS BEACONLIGHT, was torpedoed by the German U-160
(Georg Lassen) at 0316 ship time on July 16, 1942 while en route from Cape Town
(departed June 21) to Trinidad in ballast unescorted. Armament consisted of a 12
pound gun aft and 2 machine guns (.30 cal.) one on each side of the bridge.
On board was a merchant crew of 39 plus 2 British gunners.The majority of the crew were
American citizens. One crew member, an A.B., was lost.
A torpedo struck the tanker on the starboard side between #8 and #9 tanks. Position of the
attack was 10-59 N./61-07 W. or about 10 miles NW Galera Point, Trinidad. About 5 minutes
later a 2nd torpedo struck on the same side in the engine room. The extent of the damage
was not known as the ship began to sink immediately. The ship had to be sunk by the
Dutch ROODE ZEE, to prevent her being a menace to navigation.
The crew abandoned ship in three lifeboats. They were picked up about 0900 by a small
passenger vessel, the SS TRINIDAD, and landed at Port of Spain around 1700.

The U-160 (v. Pommer-Esche) was sunk south of the Azores (33-54 N./27-13 W.) by aircraft
from the USS SANTEE (CVE- 29) on July 14, 1943. There were no survivors.

The freighter, MS BUCHANAN, ex MS LEXA MAERSK, was purchased by the War Shipping
Administration on August 4, 1941 and immediately turned over to the Grace Line on a
Bareboat Charter in the port of Baltimore and placed under the Panamanian flag. The
charter to the Grace Line fell through so the ship was awarded to the American Export
Line under a GAA charter on August 1, 1941 at the port of Baltimore. Export Line operated
the ship until October 23, 1942 when she was turned over to the Isbrandtsen SS Company
at the port of New York under the same type of agreement. This company was operating
the ship when she was lost.
The MS BUCHANAN was torpedoed by the German U-224 (Hans-Carl Kosbadt) at 1935 GCT on
November 12, 1942 in position 53-06 N./25-54 W. while en route independently from New
York to Liverpool with a cargo of fuel oil in special tanks, 5000 bags of U.S. Mail, and
a deck load of aircraft and invasion barges. She was making a speed of 15 knots and
although not zigzagging at the time of the attack she had previously been on zigzag
patterns.
The complement of the BUCHANAN consisted of 73 persons. A merchant crew of 46, 15 Navy
Armed Guard, and 12 passengers who were members of a U.S. Army Air Corps Unit. All hands
survived but several had to be hospitalized for exposure. Nine of the crew were U.S.
citizens.
On November 16, the MS LIGHTNING picked up survivors in one boat containing 10 crew, 5
U.S. Navy gunners, and 3 passengers. They were landed at Liverpool on November 21st.
HMS LEAMINGTON picked up another boat load of survivors on November 20 and took them
to Londonderry, N.I. In this boat were 10 crew members, 5 U.S. Navy gunners, and 2
passengers. HMS CLARE picked up the other two boats on November 21 and took them to
Londonderry arriving the 22nd. These boats contained 26 crew members, 5 Navy gunners,
and 7 passengers.
A torpedo struck the ship on the port side at #5 hold. The entire port side in the area
of #4 and #5 holds was blown out. The two hatches were ablaze. The propeller shaft was
broken stopping the engine. A 2nd torpedo fired after the ship had been abandoned which
struck in the forepeak. The ship remained on an even keel finally sinking about 2100 GCT
on the same day as the attack.
The ship was abandoned in 4 boats. They remained at the spot of the attack until the
morning of the next day (13th) when the Master ordered the boats to set sail and head
for Ireland but a strong wind blew up separating the boats.

The U-224 (Kosbadt) was sunk on January 13, 1943 while attempting to break through the
Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. The sub was destroyed by HMCS VILLE de
QUEBEC in position 36-28 N./00-49 E. There was only one survivor who was rescued and taken
prisoner.

The coal burning freighter, SS BUSHRANGER, was seized by the U.S. while under the Danish
flag on June 6, 1941 under an Executive Order.
The SS BUSHRANGER was torpedoed by the German U-107 (Harald Gelhaus) in position 20-20
N./81-30 W. at 2030 EWT on May 31, 1942 while en route from a port in Dutch Guiana to Key
West for orders via St. Thomas, with a full cargo of Bauxite. The ship was unescorted
although there was a Naval (U.S.) Armed Guard aboard.
The BUSHRANGER had left New York with a full load of general cargo for South American ports.
She left St. Thomas on May 26th. The date leaving New York was April 6, 1942.
On board was a complement of 44 men, 37 merchant crew and 6 U.S. Navy Armed Guard.
Seventeen (17) merchant crew were lost, 11 of them were American citizens. No Navy men
were lost.
No boats were launched due to the rapid sinking of the ship. Four rafts were cut loose.
Crew members jumped overboard and got aboard the four rafts. Six of them clung to a
floating vegetable bin which had floated free. These six eventually climbed on a raft on
which was the Chief Mate. This raft was picked up June 7th by a U.S. Navy Catalina and
the survivors taken to Kingston, Jamaica.
The four rafts stayed together for three days but on the 4th day, the raft in charge of
the Chief Mate disappeared. The other 3 rafts containing 19 survivors were picked up by
the USCG NIKE on June 12 in position 21-00 N./83-30 W. and taken to Key West.
Survivors on these three rafts reported that on June 5th at 0200 EWT during good
visibility, a large plane circled three times, dropped a flare and then disappeared to
the west.
The periscope of the sub was first sighted at 1040 EWT but it disappeared. At 1655 EWT,
the tracks of two torpedoes were seen crossing the starboard bow close to the ship. At
this time the Master commenced zigzagging and sent out three SSS warnings but received
no answer.

The U-107 (Fritz) was sunk on August 18, 1944 west of La Rochelle by RAF Squadron 201.
Position 46-46 N./3-39 W. There were no survivors.

Unfortunately, the crew list does not show the addresses of those listed.
The crew list for this ship was of poor quality, making it very difficult to decipher
the names. This was common with most Panamanian flag ships during WWII.

The Panamanian flag tanker, MS C.O. STILLMAN, was torpedoed by the German U-68
(Karl-Friedrich Mertens) at 2115 ship time on June 5, 1942 while en route alone, from
Aruba to New York with a cargo of 125,812 barrels of Fuel Oil and 39 tons of dry cargo,
in position 17-30 N./68-20 W. or about 60 miles SW of Puerto Rico.
On board was a merchant crew of 47, 8 U.S. Naval Armed Guard, and 3 Workaways from other
tankers. Three (3) crew members were lost.
The first torpedo struck on the starboard side abaft the midship house setting the after
end of the house on fire. The Master ordered the ship stopped and for the men to abandon
ship. About 2135 EWT another torpedo hit the ship on the starboard side forward of the
engine room showering the deck with fuel oil and debris. At that time those remaining
aboard jumped over the side and climbed aboard rafts. The ship sunk 2 minutes after the
2nd torpedo hit.
The ship was abandoned in #3 and #4 lifeboats and 4 rafts. There were 25 survivors on the
4 rafts consisting of 22 crew and 3 Navy gunners. They were rescued by Coast Guard Patrol
Boat #83310 on June 7th just before dark after being notified by an Army plane which had
spotted the rafts. They were landed at Ponce, P.R. at 0500 on June 8, 1942 and repatriated
on the SS SEMINOLE.
Those in the two boats drifted until the dawn of June 6 and then set sail for the Dominican
Republic. Boat #3 with 17 survivors landed at the Bay of Yuma. Boat #4 with 13 survivors
landed at La Romana.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMEN LOST
FINN, Lawrence C.
LANG, John P.
WICKLINE, George T.

The SS CAPIRA, was Time Chartered by the War Shipping Administration at 11:25 AM on
March 19, 1942 in the port of Boston from the United States Line.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS CAPIRA, was torpedoed by the German U-609
(Klaus Rudloff) at 0610 ship time on
August 31, 1942 in position 57-11 N./33-45 W., while en route in Convoy SC-97 from
New York to Glasgow with general cargo including trucks, tractors, steel mats, bull
dozers, and 250 bags of U.S. Mail.
On board the CAPIRA was a merchant crew of 41 and a U.S. Naval Armed Guard of 13.
Four (4) crew members were lost. There were 3 Americans in the merchant crew. None
were lost.
At 0605, the MS BRONXVILLE (Dutch), which was located about 4 points off the starboard
bow of the CAPIRA, was torpedoed. The alarm bell on the CAPIRA sounded and all hands
were ordered on deck. Five minutes later a torpedo struck the CAPIRA at #4 hold on
the starboard side near the after end of the engine room. Flooding of those spaces
occurred at once. The ship began to settle by the stern sinking around 0625.
The ship was abandoned under orders from the Master. Three boats and two rafts were
lowered to the water. One boat capsized. Those in this boat got aboard other boats and
rafts. At 0615, the rescue ship SS PERTH, picked up 33 survivors from Lifeboats #1 and
#2 and a raft. A Corvette, name unknown, picked up 16 men from wreckage and a raft.
All were landed at Gourock, Scotland on September 6th.

The U-609 (Rudloff) was sunk February 7, 1943 in position 55-17 N./26-33 W. by the
Free French Corvette LOBELIA, ex HMS K-05. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS CARDINA, was torpedoed by the Italian submarine
ARCHIMEDE (G. Gazzano) at 1245 local tirne on June 15, 1942 in position 4-45 N./40-55 W.
or about 500 miles NE of Salines, Brazil, while en route from Buenos Aires to New York
with a cargo of 7000 tons of Linseed in bulk. She was unescorted and unarmed and not
zigzagging.
She carried a crew of 34 and all survived. Among the crew were 17 Americans.
The first torpedo hit at 1245 on the port quarter at #5 hold. The explosion caused the
CARDINA to take an immediate list. The crew abandoned ship a few minutes later.
When the ship did not appear to sink all hands returned to the ship within an hour.
After a few repairs, the engine was started and the ship got underway. About
1730 local time the engines were stopped and the crew abandoned ship again.
It was at this time the ARCHIMEDE fired another torpedo which struck on the port side
tearing a huge hole in the hull. In addition, the sub surfaced and commenced firing her
deck gun. Three direct hits were made on the ship's hull.
The ship was abandoned in four boats. The Master ordered all boats to head for the
Brazillian coast. On June 22nd landfall was made at Salines. From there they were
taken to Para (Belem) aboard the SS COMMANDANTE RIPPER where they arrived at 1000 on
June 23rd. Seventeen of the crew were repatriated to Miami on June 8th via aircraft.
The remainder were flown to Miami July 21st on a USAAF plane.

The ARCHIMEDE was sunk by U.S. Navy aircraft on April 15, 1943 in position 3-23
S./30-28 W. which is about 350 miles NE of Natal, Brazil. Casualties known.
The CARDINA was transferred to the Panamanian flag on 3/21/40.

The SS CASTILLA, was Time chartered to the War Shipping Administiation on June 2, 1942
at 0400 in the port of Mobile.
The Honduran flag freight and refrigerator ship, SS CASTILLA, was torpedoed by the
German U-167 (Harold Gelhaus) at 2110 CWT on June 6, 1942 in position 20/15 N./83-18
W. while en route from Mobile to Kingston, Jamaica with a cargo of flour.
On board was a complement of 59 men consisting of 50 crew members, 7 U.S. Naval
Armed Guard, and two passengers. A total of 22 crew and 2 Navy gunners were lost.
Twenty-three of those lost went down with the ship. One man died in a lifeboat and
was buried at sea.
One torpedo struck on the port side just forward of #3 hatch. An uncontrollable fire
broke out 5' to 6' below the water line in #3 hatch. The ship settled by the head at
once with a list to port and then settled by the stern and sank with the bow straight
up. She sank so quickly there was no time to launch the lifeboats, only time to
release 4 rafts.
The 35 survivors were picked up by the USCG NIKE (WPC 112), after 6 days on the rafts,
on June 12 in position 21-03 N./83-30 W. They were landed at Key West.
The U-167 (Kurt Sturm) was depth-charged off the Canary Islands by RAF Sqdr. 233 in
position 27-47 N./15-00 W. on April 5, 1943. The next day, April 6th, the crew scuttled
the U-167 and were rescued by the U-455 and U-518. They were landed in Spain and eventually
returned to France.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS CARMONA, was torpedoed by the German U-160
(Georg Lassen) at 1127 local time on July 18, 1942 in position 10-58 N./61-20 W.
(SE of Trinidad) while en route from an Argentine port to a U.S. port with a cargo of
7138 tons of Linseed. The ship was sailing alone and unarmed.
On board was a crew of 35 men. Four were killed outright by the explosion of the first
torpedo that wrecked the engine room.
The CARMONA was struck by 4 torpedoes, all striking on the starboard side. The first hit
at 1127 just aft of midships wrecking the engine room. A 2nd hit at #2 hatch about 10
minutes later. The 3rd and 4th hit about 5 minutes later. The ship turned on her side
and sunk at ! 200 noon.
The Master ordered abandon ship after the first torpedo struck. Two boats were launched.
The survivors were picked up by a U.S. Navy Patrol Boat which was about 2 miles inshore
of the CARMONA when she was hit. The name of the Navy ship is not known. The survivors
were transferred to the USS YPC 68 and taken to Port of Spain.

The U-160 (von Pommer Esche) was sunk south of the Azores by aircraft from the USS SANTEE
(CVE-29 on July 14, 1943. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag tanker, SS CHARLES PRATT, was torpedoed without warning by the
German U-68 (H-G yon Stockhausen) at 1455 local time on December 21, 1940 in position
8-26 N./16-51 W. while en route from Aruba to Freetown with a cargo of 96,069 barrels
of Fuel Oil. This attack took place almost a year before Pearl Harbor. The PRA TF was
about 220 miles from Freetown, Sierra Leone. She was unarmed and flying the flag of
a neutral nation. At the time of the attack in broad daylight, the flag of Panama
was flying from the stem, the stack was marked with the Panama Transport insignia,
and the Panamanian flag was painted on both sides of the hull.
The ship was manned by an American crew of 42 men. Two of the crew were lost. On
October 20, 1939 the registry of this ship was changed from the U.S. to Panama but
kept the American crew.
The first torpedo hit on the starboard side at #6 tank blowing out the bulkheads in
#6 main tank and #4 summer tank and also the deck plates in the way of the pumproom.
The explosion showered oil and debris clear to the top of the mast and over the boat
and poop deck. The ship caught fire at once and burning oil flowed into the starboard
alleyway. Steam smothering lines were opened but to no avail as all lines were
destroyed in the pumproom.
As the fire was gaining, the Master ordered abandon ship.Lifeboats #2 & #4 were
launched. After the ship had been abandoned a second torpedo struck just forward of the
midship house blowing burning oil and debris several hundred feet in the air and
showering the ocean with oil and steel fragments, some just missing #2 boat. This
explosion put out the fire. The Chief Mate was picked up 40 minutes after the ship
was abandoned by #2 boat which was in charge of the Master. He had been blown overboard
by the explosion along with an Ordinary Seaman. The Chief Mate suffered various
injuries including a broken leg. The Ordinary Seaman was never found.
Lifeboat #2 was picked up on December 25th at 1350 local time by the MV GASCONY and
landed at Freetown. Boat #4 was picked up by the SS LANGLEEGORSE on December 26th and
landed at Freetown.

The CHENANGO, was seized by the U.S. from the Finnish Government and turned over to the
War Shipping Administration at the port of New York at 1000 EST on December 27, 1941.
On December 30th the ship was turned over to Moore McCormack Line at 1200 Noon EST for
operation under a GAA agreement.
The coal burning freighter, SS CHENANGO, was torpedoed by the German U-84 (Horst Uphoff)
at 1900 EWT on April 20, 1942 in position 36-11 N./75-07 W. (about 60 miles SE of Cape
Henry), while en route, alone and unarmed, from Rio de Janiero to Baltimore via St.
Thomas with a full load of Manganese Ore at a speed of 9 Knots.
One torpedo hit on the port side between #4 & #5 hatches blasting a huge hole in the
hull. Combined with the full load of heavy ore this cased the ship to go down in less
than a minute.
On board was a crew of 32 men. This crew was made up of 12 different nationalities, a
regular United Nations. There were Americans, Danes, Norwegians, Estonians, Swedes,
Chileans, French, Portuguese, Canadians, Colombians, Belgians, and Irish in the crew.
Of these 32 men there was only one survivor, a 24-year-old Fireman from Ireland.
Thirteen of the lost were American citizens.
The Fireman was one of two men who managed to reach a liferaft which had floated free
when the ship sank. One boat was launched but it capsized. The other boat went down
with the ship. The raft on which the two men found themselves had been condemned in
New York. All the regulation rafts on the ship had been improperly stowed on deck
instead of in quick release racks. When the ship sank, these rafts were destroyed.
The only supplies on the raft was water and a fishing line. The two survivors were
on the raft for 12 days.
The raft that had been condemned in New York, holding the two exhausted and starving
men, was sighted by a U.S. Army plane on May 2nd at 0800 in position 34-30 N./74-25
W. At 1400 on the same day, they were rescued by a Coast Guard PBY aircraft. For
nearly two weeks the men had seen nothing but sea and sky plus those patrol planes
that passed within a half mile of the bobbing raft.

The U-84 (Uphoff) was sunk August 26, 1943 by aircraft (VC-13) from the USS CORE
(CVE-13) in position 27-00 N./37-03 W. There were no survivors.

There is some question whether or not Arthur Hutson was on the ship when it was
torpedoed. Maritime Insurance files show he was a casualty and war risk insurance
was paid to his wife. A crew list made up and sent to the home office shows he was
not aboard when the ship left St. Thomas.

Statement of TERRANCE J. BRADLEY, sole survivor of the SS CHENANGO

We were about six days out from St. Thomas when the torpedo hit. I was in my quarters
in the forecastle with three other AB's and an Ordinary Seaman plus a Fireman.
The lights went out and we were thrown around the room. We ran forward and up the
escape hatch to the poop deck where we were covered in water up to our waist. I
was the first one out and I don't know what happened to me but I think I was drawn
under by the suction of the ship as it sank. I did not have a life jacket on.
In about half an hour I got on a raft which floated near me.I swam to the raft and
got aboard. No one else was on it.
A few minutes after I got on the raft, Joseph Dieltins, the Chief Steward, swam to
the raft and I helped him aboard. A few minutes later one of the Estonian A.B.'s was
swimming toward our raft but when he was within 25 yards of the raft, he just
disappeared under the water. Another Estonian A.B. was clinging to a hatch cover
some distance from the raft. I don't know what became of him.
The 2nd Engineer, Sverre Ellingsen, was holding on to a hatch cover as the sub
cruised among the men in the water and I heard him cursing the U-Boat. Carlos
Rodriguez, an O.S., was cfinging to a hatch cover and screaming. I did not see any
of them go under the water nor did I see any other member of the crew at this time.
We were the only ones who got on the raft. A heavy sea was running and there was an
offshore wind which reached gale force by morning.
The following morning I could not see any wreckage or bodies and the gale was still
blowing. The raft started to break up. Dieltins and I had to keep working to keep it
together.
There was no food on the raft, only a water keg holding about 10 gallons. There were
no oars, no sail, and no anchor. This raft had been condemned in New York and the
equipment and provisions from that raft had been placed on the other rafts on the
CHENANGO.
Four or five days later, we had some calm weather for 2 days. There was a line on the
raft with a hook on it. I baited this with a crab which we got in sea weed.
I managed to catch a large fish about 5 feet long and weighing about 100 pounds.
Before I could get this fish on the raft, a shark took half of it. We tried to eat
some of it but it made us sick.
On the second calm day, Dieltins started to go crazy. He wanted to make a cake and
acted as if he was preparing the meals on the ship. A few days later he lay down on
the raft and would not get up. I gave him water from time to time. He talked as if he
were insane.
We did not see any ships but several planes passed close by. About the 11th day a
U.S. Army plane dropped us some food in a rubber bag. We both had some chocolate.
The next morning, the plane was back again and circled overhead for 4 or 5 hours.
It dropped a small package but it was too far away for us to reach it. Then I must
have gone to sleep for awhile because the next thing I knew a Coast Guard PBY flew
over us, dropped smoke bombs, and then landed and taxied toward the raft.
Finally a line was thrown from the plane which I made fast to the raft. At this time,
Dieltins jumped overboard and I had to pull him back on the raft. As the plane neared
the raft, several men grabbed both of us, Dieltins first and then me, taking us
aboard the plane. We were taken to the Marine Hospital in Norfolk and placed in the
same room on Saturday afternoon. On Monday morning, Mr. Dieltins died in that room.
The Master, Rasmussen, was a very strict skipper. He had ordered the ship blacked out
even before sunset. We were zigzagging too, making about 8 knots when we were hit.
The CHENANGO went down very fast after the torpedo hit, easily within a minute.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS COLD HARBOR, was torpedoed by the German U-502
(Jurgen von Rosenstiel) at 2210 EWT on June 14, 1942 while en route from New York to
Persian Gulf ports with a cargo of 6200 tons, including 28 tanks, airplanes, and
ammunition. She had left New York on May 24th in convoy and then spent several days
anchored in Chesapeake Bay awaiting another convoy to Trinidad. While the convoy was
located between Yucatan and the Panama Canal she was ordered to proceed to Trinidad
alone.
The ship's complement consisted of 42 crew members of many nationalities including 4
Americans. Also on board was a U.S. Naval Armed Guard contingent of 10 men. Six crew
members were lost, one of them lost on the SS KAHUKU, the ship that rescued the
survivors but was herself torpedoed. Three of the Navy men were lost, one of them
from the SS KAHUKU. No Americans in the merchant crew were lost.
As the ship proceeded to Port of Spain and while in position 11-40 N.762-55 W.
(about 100 miles NW of Trinidad) a torpedo struck the ship on the starboard side just
forward of the bridge. The explosion caused the ammo in #2 hold to blow up. The ship
took a heavy list to starboard. About a half hour later another torpedo struck on the
port side between #4 and #5 hatches. About 15 minutes after this, the ship sank port
side up.
The Master ordered abandon ship about 10 minutes after the first torpedo as the ship
still had headway. He waited for the engines to stop before giving the order. Three
boats and two rafts were launched. #1 boat was destroyed by the explosion. The Master,
Chief Engineer, and Radio Operator remained aboard until the 2nd torpedo hit. The
Chief Engineer was blown overboard by the force of the 2nd explosion. The Master
then launched the starboard after raft and climbed aboard. He picked up 2 survivors
from the water and at daybreak picked up five more including the Chief Engineer and
Radio Operator. This raft was picked up at 1300 on the 15th by USS OPAL PC-453 and
taken to the American Naval Base and then to Port of Spain.
Two boats, containing 19 survivors were picked up by the SS EXMOUTH about 24 hours after
the attack. They were taken to Port of Spain also. The 3rd boat, containing 14 crew
and 3 Navy men was picked up on June 15th by the SS KAHUKU. At 2120 EWT on June 16th,
the KAHUKU herself was torpedoed. A crew member and Navy gunner from the COLD HARBOR
were lost at this time. The 15 survivors from the COLD HARBOR were among those rescued
by the USS OPAL and landed at Trinidad.

The MS COLIN, ex MS VILLAPEROSA, was taken over by an Executive Order on June 6, 1941.
On October 31, 1941 she was delivered to the U.S. Maritime Commission and thence to the
War Shipping Administration. The WSA allotted the ship to Lykes Bros. SS Co. on January
15, 1942 at the port of New York. On December 8, 1942 she was turned over to A.L.
Burbank & Co. under a GAA agreement in Mobile.
The Panamanian flag freighter, MS COLIN, was torpedoed by the German U-S59
(Johann Jebsen) at 1550 ship time on April 26, 1944 while en route from New York to
Liverpool via Boston and Halifax in Convoy SC 157 (#135) with a cargo of 4600 tons of bulk
sulphur. The position of the attack was 54-16 N./31-59 W.
The total complement on board was 40 merchant crew and 15 U.S. Navy Armed Guard. One
crew member jumped overboard and was not seen again. He was the 2nd Cook, a Chinese
citizen.
The COLIN loaded sulphur at Port Sulphur, Louisiana and left on February 15 in convoy
for New York arriving there on February 29th. After receiving orders, the ship
proceeded to Boston arriving there on March 10th. She left Boston March 17th in
Convoy BX 100 for Halifax arriving March 19th. Sailed from Halifax in Convoy SC
156 but due to engine trouble was forced to return to Halifax. Finally sailing
from Halifax on April 19th in Convoy SC 157.
On April 26, 1944 at 1550 ship's time, two torpedoes struck the COLIN on her port
side, one hit at #1 hatch and the other at #6 hatch. The sulphur cargo in #1 hold
caught fire immediately and the fumes covered the ship. The COLIN settled gradually
on an even keel. Shortly after all the boats were clear, a 3rd torpedo hit the ship
on the port side amidships. When the smoke cleared, the ship had disappeared.
At the time of the attack, the ship was proceeding alone on the Straggler's Route
having dropped out of the convoy the night of April 24 because of a broken steering
gear.
At 1620 orders to abandon ship were given by the Master. Two lifeboats and a gig were
launched along with all the rafts except one. All the survivors were picked up by
HMS AFFLECK (K 462) and HMS BENTLEY (K 465) at 1130 on April 27th. All the survivors
were in two boats at this time. After rejoining the convoy they were all transferred
to the rescue ship SS ACCRINGTON arriving Gourock, Scotland on May 1st. They were
repatriated to the U.S. on the ILE DE FRANCE arriving New York on May 18th.

A historical sidelight you might find interesting, the VILLAPEROSA
was in port in Wilmington, NC, loading scrap iron when Italy declared
war on Britain and France (June 1940). She was interned by the US
Government, pulled away from the loading dock and tied up to pilings
in a deserted part of the Cape Fear River at Eagles Island, across from
the City of Wilmington. The Italian crew remained aboard. Sometime
later, if my memory serves me correctly, the crew opened the sea
cocks and attempted to scuttle the ship. Their effort was only
partially successful as there was very little water under the hull
and the ship simply settled a few feet into the mud. She was raised
in a matter of hours and eventually made serviceable again.

The Honduran flag freighter, SS COMOYAGUA, was torpedoed by the German U-125
(Ulrich Folkers) at 1100 CWT on May 14, 1942, in position 19-00 N./81-37 W. (about
14 miles W. by S. of Georgetown, Grand Cayman) while en route alone from Puerto Barrios,
Guatemala to Niquero, Cuba in ballast.
The COMAYAGUA was armed with a 4" gun aft and two .30 caliber machine guns, one on
each bridge wing. A U.S. Naval Armed Guard crew of four were aboard to man the guns.
The COMAYAGUA carried a merchant crew of 38 men. Six crew members were killed outright
by the explosion of the first torpedo. A seventh man, the Jr. Engineer, was badly burned
and died later in the hospital at Georgetown. One Navy gunner was badly burned but
survived.
The ship was struck by 2 torpedoes, the first hitting at 1100 just forward of midship
and the 2nd at 1120 which hit about 20' from the stern. The first hit in the boiler
room and the 2nd blew off the stern.
The crew abandoned ship in boats and rafts. A U.S. Navy plane appeared at 1145 and
tried to locate the sub but with no success. It then flew off to Georgetown where the
pilot dropped a note in the Commissioner's garden, informing him of the survivors.
The Motor Schooner CIMBOCO was sent to pick up the survivors and returned them to
Georgetown.
The U-Boat surfaced after the sinking and the Master was questioned by the German officer
who spoke excellent English. He told the Master land was only 10 miles away.
O. Thomas Wolfe, GM 3c, in charge of the gun crew, stayed at his post hoping the sub
would surface. When he saw the 2nd torpedo approaching he jumped overboard and was
picked up.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMEN LOST
MacDOUGAL, Archie
MURPHY, James E.
THOM, Robert

Donald Beavers, AS, was badly burned but survived.He was flown to the Naval Operating
Base at Guan-tanamo, Cuba via U.S. Navy plane for hospitalizationwhere he recovered.
The other four merchant crew members lost were all Honduran citizens. They were a
Wiper, Fireman, Oiler,and Messman.

NOTE: Unfortunately, the file on this ship does not show the address of the American
merchant crew members or their next of kin.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS DESERT LIGHT, ex Finnish PANDIA, was taken over by the
U.S. from the Finnish Government on December 27, 1941 at the port of New York, under an
Executive Order of June 6, 1941. The ship was allotted to the War Shipping Administration
which in turn allotted the ship to Alcoa SS Company for operation on February 6, 1942
at New York. The ship had been under the flag of Panama since August 1941. When
confiscated by the U.S., the ship was operated by a Finnish company owned by Arthur
Karlsson.
The SS DESERT LIGHT, was torpedoed by the German U-572 (Heinz Hirsacker) at 1203 EWT on
April 16, 1942 in position 35-35 N./72-48 W. while en route from New York to Bermuda
with a cargo of 3800 tons of supplies for the Naval Operating Base, including 104 tons
of ammunition and dynamite. She was sailing alone and unarmed.
Two torpedoes ripped into the starboard side of the ship amidships just forward of
the boiler room. The explosion blew out the bottom plates and tore the side of the
hull up to the deck. Extensive damage was done to the midship house and the bulkhead
holding the coal bunkers was ruptured. The engine room and fireroom quickly flooded
causing the ship to sink at 1323 EWT. Also the starboard boat was destroyed by the
explosion.
On board the DESERT LIGHT was a crew of 31 men. One Fireman was lost.
The ship was abandoned at 1223 by all hands in the port boat and the port raft. Five
men left on the raft and 25 men were in the boat. Later, those on the raft transferred
to the boat. They were finally rescued at 1200 on April 23rd by the USS ROPER DD 147
and taken to Morehead City, N.C.

The U-572 (Heinz Kummetat) was sunk by U.S. Navy aircraft Vp-205 on August 3, 1942 in
position 11-35 N./54-05 W. There were no survivors.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMAN LOST
CLEMENT, Lorenzo Fireman
NOTE 1: (There was no crew list for this ship)

NOTE: Captain Dunn had to sign three crews before he could get one to sail the
ship. After one crew learned that the ship carried explosives they refused to sail
and signed off. A second crew was signed on but they too refused to sail and
signed off. On the third try the company found it necessary to get most of the
crew from Canada in order to take the ship to sea.
(From official U.S. Navy records).

The SS EL COSTON, was purchased by the U.S. Government from the Southern Pacific RR and
turned over to the War Shipping Administration for operation. The WSA assigned the
ship to the U.S. Lines on July 2, 1941. This company operated her until October 30,
1942 under a GAA agreement. On that date the ship was assigned to the U.S. Navigation
Company and registered under the flag of Panama in Boston.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS EL COSTON, on February 25, 1944 at 2135 ship's time,
while en route in Convoy CU-15 (#53) from New York to a United Kingdom port, rammed
the tanker SS MURFREESBORO which was loaded with 80 octane gasoline. The collision
occurred in position 38-10 N./53/33 W. (About 900 miles out from New York).
The EL COSTON was loaded with 3367 tons of munitions, 267 tons of vehicles, and 311
tons of general cargo.
On board the EL COSTON was a crew of 39 and a U.S.Navy Armed Guard contingent of 28.
The merchant crew was made up of many nationalities including 3 Americans. Nine of the
crew and 8 Navy men were lost.
The EL COSTON, 3rd ship in the 5th column, had drifted off course towards the 4th
column of ships. At 2130 the Master ordered the wheel hard right to get back in
position. It was at this time that the helmsman reported the rudder failed to respond.
This caused the EL COSTON to ram the U.S. tanker SS MURFREESBORO on her port side.
The tanker was in convoy position #54. The tanker burst into flames at once and sheets
of flame swept the decks of both ships. At the time the weather included rough seas,
rain squalls, and poor visibility.
The Master was on the bridge at the time of the collision and was last seen descending
from the bridge shortly after the collision. He was not seen again after that time.
With the Master missing, the Chief Mate of the EL COSTON, ordered the ship to get
underway at slow speed and proceeded in an easterly direction until daylight, at which
time a survey was made of the damage. The bow was found to be stove in above and below
the waterline. #1 hold was flooded and boxed ammunition was floating out through the
holes. The ship did not sink at this time but stayed in the vicinity until about 1535
on February 26th when she departed under her own power with an escort, USS MARCHAND
(DE 249), headed for Bermuda. However, the weather turned bad with the wind increasing
to Force 7 to 8 from the North and Northwest causing heavy seas. Shortly after
midnight, February 27th, the bulkhead between #1 and #2 holds gave way and collapsed.
The engines were stopped and abandon ship was ordered. Those on board abandoned in
two lifeboats. The ship sank by the head at 0142 on February 27th.
Six crew members and 8 Naval Armed Guard were lost the night of the collision.
Three more crew members were lost when the ship finally went down. None of the 3
Americans were lost.
NOTE: The Chief Mate, Sten A. Nordh, was awarded the Distinguished Merchant Marine
Medal on May 3, 1945 for his actions in taking charge of the EL COSTON after the
Master was lost.

The SS EL CAPITAN, was purchased by the U.S. Government from the Southern Pacific
RR. She flew the American flag until October 1, 1941 when she was transferred to
Panamanian registry. On June 26, 1941 the ship was turned over to the U.S. Lines
to be operated under a GAA agreement at the port of New York.
The EL CAPITAN was bombed by German aircraft at 0600 July 10, 1942 in position
70-10 N./41-40 W. (about 65 miles NE of lokanka, USSR). She was en route from
New York to Archangel with a cargo of machinery, food, leather, ammunition in
the holds and tanks on deck. This ship had been a ship in Convoy PQ-17 before
the convoy was dispersed and forced to go it alone.
The German aircraft were first sighted at 2300 GCT on July 9th. They had come
from Petsamo where there was an air base. Concussion from the many bombs dropped
caused the after peak compartment to break open. The bulkhead at #4 hold was
ruptured, and the starboard side of the engine room was demolished. Holds #4
and #5 began to take water and the ship settled by the stern.
The ship was abandoned when it became apparent that she was in a sinking
condition.
On board the EL CAPITAN was a merchant crew of 37, a U.S. Naval Armed Guard of
10 enlisted men and one officer. Also on board were 19 survivors from the SS
JOHN WITHERSPOON rescued by the EL CAPITAN. All on board were rescued with no
fatalities. There were no Americans in the Merchant crew.
HMS LORD AUSTIN, a converted trawler, picked up all the survivors and took them
to Archangel. From there they were taken to Glasgow, Scotland where they embarked
on the SS QUEEN MARY arriving in Boston on October 15, 1942.
It was necessary for the LORD AUSTIN to sink the EL CAPITAN with gunfire.

The freighter, SS EL LAGO, was an American flag ship owned by the Southern Pacific
Railroad. She was purchased from this company by the U.S. Government on June 26,
1941 at Baltimore. At this time the ship was placed under the Panamanian flag to
be operated by the U.S. Lines under a GAA agreement.
The SS EL LAGO was torpedoed by the German U-615 (Ralph Kapitsky) and the U-607
(Ernst Mengersen) at 1512 local time on October I 1, 1942 while en route from
Reykjavik to New York in ballast. The position of the attack was 44-00 N./40-00 W.
On board the ship was a complement of 39 crew members, 14 U.S. Naval Armed Guard,
and 6 passengers who were merchant seamen being repatriated. The Master and 1st
Assistant Engineer were the only survivors, only because they were taken prisoner
by the U-615.
The EL LAGO had left New York on August 20 arriving Boston the next day. After
loading cargo she left Boston on August 30 in Convoy BX-35 and arrived Halifax
September 1st. Left Halifax on September 5 in Convoy SC 99 arriving Reykjavik on
September 17.
After discharging all her cargo at Reykjavik, the SS EL LAGO departed from that port
on October 5, 1942 in Convoy ONS 136s. The convoy was made up of 12 ships in two
columns. The EL LAGO was the #3 ship in the port column and the convoy was heading
south to join a larger convoy from the U.K. to the U.S.
When about 250 miles south of Iceland, on October 5th, the convoy ran into a storm
with hurricane force winds, tremendous heavy seas, rain, poor visibility. The EL LAGO
was forced to slow down because of these weather conditions thereby losing the convoy.
At noon on October 11th, observations fixed the position of the ship at 442 miles
ENE of Cape Race, New-foundland at a speed of 13 knots.
On this day, at 1512 local time, the ship was struck by two torpedoes amidships, one
on the port side and the other on the starboard side. The stern section sunk within
seconds and the forward sank in less than a minute.
The ship was equipped with four lifeboats, 4 square rafts, and two donut type rafts.
Both after boats were destroyed in the explosion and the two forward boats went down
with the ship.
The Master was on the bridge at the time of the attack. The ship sank under him.
Without his life jacket he managed to stay afloat for about half an hour and then
climbed aboard one of the square rafts. When he got aboard he found the 2nd Mate,
1st Engineer, Bosun, Carpenter, an A.B., an O.S., the 2nd Cook, and a Messman.
All of them had been in the water for some time and were covered with oil. The
Master also saw 2 men clinging to a potato crate plus 3 others on one of the square
rafts and 2 more on another. The two donut rafts were empty. As there were too many
on the Master's raft, 3 men shifted to an empty raft.
At this time, the two subs surfaced. They were the U-615 and U-607. The U-615
approached the rafts and asked for the name of the ship and for the Master. The
Master identified him-self and he was ordered aboard the sub. They they asked for the
Chief Engineer. When told he was not among them they asked for an engineer officer.
The 1st Engineer then identified himself and he was ordered aboard too.
The Master asked the Commanding Officer of the U-615 what he intended to do with
the others on the rafts. His only answer was, "This is war!" He then ordered the two
below. The Master judged the time to be about 1715 at this time. No survivors were
ever found so it can be assumed they died from exposure or drowning.
The U-615 arrived at La Pallice, France on October 30th. Captain Abrahamson was
taken to the prison at La Rochelle and the Engineer to a hospital in Bordeaux
suffering from severe burns. Captain Abrahamson was transferred to a prison
camp for Merchant Seamen at Bremen. He was repatriated to the U.S. from Oslo,
Norway on the Liberty ship SS M.E. COMERFORD on July 30, 1945 arriving in New
York on August 16th where he reported to U.S. Lines office.
The Engineer was hospitalized a La Rochelle for 14 days and then taken to Bordeaux
where he remained until December 20, 1942. He was then returned to La Rochelle,
placed in prison for 2 days, and then taken by train to Camp Marlag in Bremen where
he was reunited with Capt. Abrahamson. He was repatriated to the U.S. from
Rotterdam on August 29,1945 aboard the SS MORGANTOWN VICTORY arriving in New
York on September 7, 1945.
Capt. Abrahamson was a Norwegian citizen from Kristiansand where his wife was living.
Mr. Baas, the 1st Engineer, was a Dutch citizen but lived with his wife in New York
City.
The U-615 (Kapitsky) was sunk south of Curacoa in position 12-51 N./64-34 W. on
August 7, 1943 by U.S. Navy aircraft and U.S. Army Sqdn. #10. Five were lost and 43
taken prisoner.
The U-615 under the command of Ralph Kapitsky, was responsible for the sinking of the
American tanker SS ATLANTIC SUN from which there was one survivor also. The U-615
pulled this man aboard and made him a prisoner thereby saving his life.
The U-607 (W. Jeschonnek) was sunk NW of Cape Ortegal, Spain in position 45-02
N./9-14 W. on July 13, 1943 by British Sqdn. #228. There were 45 lost and 5 taken
prisoner.
The U-607 under the command of Ernst Mengersen, was responsible for the sinking of
the SS EDWARD B. DUDLEY, an American Liberty ship. There were no survivors from the
DUDLEY.
The Merchant crew was made up of 7 Norwegians, 8 Chinese, 5 Canadians, 5 Belgians,
3 Dutch, 2 Swedes, 2 Scots, and one each from Denmark, Ireland, Estonia, Portugal,
Latvia, Poland, and the U.S.

**The body of this man was picked up at sea on November 3, 1942 by the USS
MANHASSET in position 51-10 N./40-50 W.

LOG ENTRIES RELATIVE TO THE SINKING OF THE SS EL LAGO SIGNED BY THE COMMANDING OFFICER
OF THE U-615, KPLTN. KAPITSKY.

October 11, 1942
1113 While on the surface, smoke sighted bearing 085° True.
1130 Ship sighted 6 miles distant on course about 230°. Speed 12 knots. Increase speed to
get into attacking position.
1456 Fired two torpedo spread from Tubes #1 and #1. Hit after 90 seconds. Observed ship to
be cut in two. After 4 minutes nothing could be seen of the ship.
NOTE: There is a discrepancy in the time of the attack. The Master of the EL LAGO stated
the ship was hit at 1512.
1500 Heard diesel noise bearing 210° True... noise becomes louder. Noise determined to
be that of another U-Boat.
1542 Surfaced. Found U-607 at scene of sinking. U-607 departs heading 060° True.
Captain of ship and 1st Machinist taken on board. Steer 050° True to return to former
position.
1836 Radio message to U-Boat headquarters: "In AJ 8898, EL LAGO sunk, bound from
Iceland to New York in ballast.Captain and I st Machinist on board."

Signed: Kapitsky, Kptin.

Author's Note: Unfortunately, I have been unable to determine or identify the six seamen
passengers. There is no record of them in any government files. Therefore it is
impossible to know if any of the six were American seamen.
All of the data concerning the attack and rescue was obtained from statements of Capt.
Abrahamson and Gerritt Baas after their repatriation to the United States.
The Master's statement was signed on August 21, 1945 and Mr. Baas' on September 13,
1945.

The freighter, EL OCCIDENTE, was purchased by the U.S.Maritime Commission from the
Southern Pacific Railroad at Galveston, Texas on July 7, 1941. The ship was assigned
to the U.S. Lines of New York on the same date at 1400 under a GAA agreement.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS EL OCCIDENTE, was torpedoed by the German U-435
(Seigfried Strelow) at 0130 local time on April 13, 1942 in position 78-28 N./28-30
E. while en route from Murmansk to New York via Reykjavik in Convoy QP-10. She was
carrying a part cargo of Chrome Ore as ballast.
The EL OCCIDENTE had previously left Boston on January 30th stopping at Halifax on
February 1st and departing from there on February 7th in Convoy HX 174. After
arrival at the Clyde River she left there on February 23rd arriving Reykjavik on
the 29th. Departed that port on March 1st arriving Murmansk March 13th and departing
there on April 10th in Convoy QP-10. From Reykjavik to Murmansk she was in Convoy
PQ-12. The ship was armed and manned by British gunners.
There were 41 crew members on the ship. Twenty (20) were lost. The ship sank so
fast there was no time to launch lifeboats. The crew was forced to jump overboard.
About 30 minutes later, the 21 survivors were picked up by HMS SPEEDWELL, a British
minesweeper. The SPEEDWELL also picked up 9 bodies and buried them at sea.
Survivors were landed at Reykjavik from where they were eventually repatriated
to the U.S. aboard the SS CAPULIN and SS ARTIGAS.
One or two torpedoes struck the ship in the engine room nearly breaking her in two.
She sank stern first in two minutes. One boat was put in the water but it overturned.

The U-435 (Strelow) was sunk by British Sqdn. (RAF) on July 9, 1943 in position 39
-48 N./14-22 W. There were no survivors. (48 lost).

The SS EQUIPOISE, ex Italian flag freighter PIETRO CAMPANELLA, was a coal burning ship,
delivered to the War Shipping Administration, by Executive Order, on September 11, 1941
at 1200 hours in the port of Baltimore. The WSA assigned the ship to the IFC to be
operated under a GAA agreement in the port of Baltimore at 1201 EST on October 6,
1941. She was changed to Panamanian registry on October 25, 1941.
The SS EQUIPOISE, a Panamanian flag, coal burning freighter, was torpedoed by the
German U-160 (Georg Lassen) at 1834 EWT on March 26, 1942 in position 36-36 N./74-45 W.
(about 60 miles Southeast of Cape Henry), while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore
with a cargo of 8000 tons of Manganese ore. The ship was sailing alone and not
zigzagging.
The EQUIPOISE had left New York on January 17, 1942 with a load of general cargo
stopping at Norfotk on the 19th and leaving there on the 23rd. Arrived at Rio de Janeiro
on February 25th and left on March 5th.
On board was a merchant crew of 54 men including the Master. The ship was armed with
a 4" gun on the stern plus two machine guns on the bridge and two on the stern.
There was no Navy Armed Guard aboard. The members of the crew had been trained to man
these guns. Of the 54 men aboard only 13 survived. Among the crew were 8 American seamen.
None of the eight Americans survived.
One torpedo struck the ship on the starboard side between #1 and #2 hatches, blowing out
the bottom of the ship, causing her to sink in about 2 minutes. Also the nature of the
cargo added to her rapid sinking. The two starboard boats went down with the ship.
Two port lifeboats were launched plus 2 rafts. Lifeboat #2 capsized when it hit the
water. The aft boat, #4 boat, was launched by the 3rd Mate and another seaman. After
it was launched, they could not reach it and had to jump overboard. The 3rd Mate, who
was the only surviving officer, said he was in the water for 2 hours before he could
finally climb aboard this boat. When he got in the boat, he found 7 men. One of them
was the Master. He was badly injured and not coherent. The 3rd Mate said he always
spoke English on the ship but at this time he spoke in Swedish. The Master died the
next morning and was buried at sea. Another seaman got aboard the boat soon after the
3rd Mate. After the Master died, there were 8 survivors in the boat.
For two days the boat and two rafts floated aimlessly on the open sea before help came
in sight. Those in the boat were picked up first at 1630 EWT on March 28th by the USS
GREER (DD-145). On the same day, between 1700 and 1800, those on the rafts were rescued.
There were 4 men on one raft. On the other raft was one man and the body of the
Carpenter. The survivors were taken to the Norfolk Naval Base arriving there at
0200 on the 29th. Seven of them had to be hospitalized.
The crew was made up of seamen of many nations including Norway, Sweden, Estonia,
Latvia, Brazil, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Denmark and the United States.
One of the survivors, a Fireman, said the confusion after the torpedo hit was very
intense among the crew. They could not understand one another. Orders were either
misunderstood or disregarded. Most of the men lost went down with the ship.

The U-160 (Pommer-Esche) was sunk south of the Azores (33-54 N./27-13 W.) by aircraft
from the USS SANTEE (CVE 29) on July 14, 1943. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag tanker, MS ESSO BOLIVAR, was shelled an torpedoed by the German U-126
(Ernst Bauer) at 0230 on March 7, 1942 in position 19-38 N./74-38 W. or about 30 miles SE
of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while en route from New York to Aruba with a load of fresh water,
commissary stores, and a deck cargo. The ship did not sink but was badly damaged.
Eventually repaired and put back into service.
On board was a merchant crew of 44 and a U.S. Naval Armed Guard contingent of six. Seven
crew members, including the Master and Chief Mate were lost. One Navy gunner was lost.
Ten crew members were wounded as were four of the Navy men.
The ESSO BOLIVAR left New York on February 26th armed with a stern gun and two .30 caliber
machine guns. A stop was made at Newport News for routing instructions from the Navy and
to test the degaussing system. She departed there on March 1st, unescorted for Aruba.
At 0230 the ship was attacked by vicious shelling from U-126. Seven crew members were
killed and many wounded. About two hours after the initial attack, a torpedo struck on
the starboard side blowing part of the deck cargo several hundred feet in the air. She
took a heavy list to port but stayed afloat.
Shells struck the after house, wheelhouse, and the midship house. The 3rd shell exploded
in the afterhouse starting a fire in the galley which soon spread and blazed upward like
a flaming torch driving the gun crew from the after gun. Bulkheads caved in from the
intense heat.
The engines were stopped at 0310 with the steering gear shot away. The deck cargo of
acetylene cylinders were shattered by shellfire setting the gas on fire. The torpedo
made a hole 50' x 35' next to the pumproom.
The ship was abandoned in #1 lifeboat and four of the rafts.The lifeboat picked up
survivors in the water. All survivors were picked up by the minesweeper USS ENDURANCE and
taken to Guantanamo Naval Base where all the wounded were hospitalized.
On March 25th, the ship left Guantanamo under her own power with a Naval escort, arriving
Mobile on March 30th where permanent repairs were completed on July 24th. On August 6th,
she loaded a full cargo at Corpus Christi, Texas for New York.

The U-126 (Siegfried Kietz) was sunk by RAF Squadron 172 in the North Atlantic
(46-10 N./11-23 W.) on July 3, 1943. There were no survivors.

The Chief Mate, Hawkings Fudske, Chief Engineer William McTaggart, Arthur Lauman,
Fireman, and Charles Richardson, A.B. were all awarded the Merchant Marine
Distinguished Service Medal for their bravery in the attack on this ship. Mr.
Fudske's award was made posthumously to his wife. A Liberty ship was also named
for him.

The MV FIRETHORN, ex Danish NORDEN, was taken over by the U.S. Government, under an
Executive Order, in the port of Philadelphia on July 12, 1941 and registered under the
Panamanian flag. Control of the ship was given to the War Shipping Administration. They
assigned this ship to the U.S. Lines under a Bareboat Charter on July 17, 1941 and on
February 26, 1942 under a GAA agreement.
The Panamanian flag freighter, MS FIRETHORN, was torpedoed by the German U-172 (Carl
Emmermann) at 0830 ship's time on October 7, 1942 about 60 miles NW of Capetown, while en
route alone, from New York to Suez via Capetown with a cargo of tanks and general war
supplies.
The ship's complement consisted of 40 merchant crew and 21 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. Of
that number, 10 crew members and 2 Navy gunners were lost. There were only two members of
the merchant crew who were American citizens, the Deck and Engine Cadets. They were both
lost.
The first torpedo struck the ship on the port side just below the bridge, tearing open
the hull. A 2nd torpedo struck, a few seconds later, on the same side in the engine room.
The ship went down in less than 2 minutes.
Abandon ship was sounded after the explosion of the first torpedo. Survivors climbed
aboard four rafts. The port boat had been destroyed in the first explosion. Due to the
heavy port list to port it was impossible to launch the starboard boat. The four rafts
broke loose and floated free as did a yawl boat. The yawl was found bottom up but was
righted and used to pick up many survivors in the water and place them on the rafts
which were eventually lashed together.
Six men manned the yawl boat and set forth for the coast. The following day, November
8th, they were spotted by a plane about 1300. On the same day at 1700, they were picked
up by HMS ROCKROSE (K-51). The next day the survivors on the rafts were rescued by HMS
ROCKROSE and a mine sweeper. They were taken to Capetown arriving the same day, November
9th.

The U-172 (Hoffman) was sunk west of the Canary Islands in position 26-19 N./29-59 W. on
December 12, 1943 by four U.S. destroyers. There were 46 survivors including the
Commanding Officer. Thirteen were lost.

***These two seamen lost on the MS ZAANDAM while being repatriated to the U.S.

Nico Hoogendam (Dutch), A.B. on the FIRETHORN, survived 82 days on a raft after being
torpedoed on the ZAANDAM. Surviving with him were 2 others. Cornelius Van der Slot
(Dutch) ZAANDAM crew member and Basil lzzi, U.S. Navy Armed Guard stationed on the
ZAANDAM. (See Page 667)

The SS FRIAR ROCK, was a steel hulled, single screw freighter with reciprocating
engines, Scotch boilers, and burned oil.She was seized by the U.S. Government on
June 6, 1941 under an Executive Order. On October 11, 1941, the War Shipping
Administration assigned the FRIAR ROCK to Waterman SS Company at the port of
New York under a GAA agreement.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS FRIAR ROCK, was torpedoed by the German U-130
(Ernst Kals) at 0748 GCT on January 13, 1942, while en route from New York to
England, unarmed and unescorted, with a full load of cargo. The attack took place
about 110 miles Southeast of Cape Race, New-foundland in position 45-30 N./50-40 W.
On board was a merchant crew of 37 men. Of this number, 31 men were lost. There were 8
American seamen in the crew.Six of them were lost. Seven survivors were picked up by an
unidentified ship. One of them, the 2nd Mate, died ashore.
There is no record of who the rescue ship was or to what port the survivors were
taken. Also no record of how long in a boat or raft or what date they were rescued.
The FRIAR ROCK was one of those unfortunate ships to be lost early in the war and
being under the Panamanian flag not much attention was given to this ship.
Therefore, little is known about its loss. Fortunately, the Coast Guard files
contained a copy of the crew list thereby we are able to identify the crew. This
was so important as we try to find the names of American seamen lost on these
foreign flag ships.
The ship was under the command of Eric G. Stolt, a 48-year-old Swedish native
living with his wife and family in Newark, N.J.

The U-130 (Keller) was sunk west of the Azores on March 12, 1943 by the USS
CHAMPLIN DD-601 in position 73-10 N./40-21 W. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS GRANVILLE, was torpedoed by the German U-338
(Manfred Knizel) on March 12, 1943 at 1356 GCT while en route from New York to
Iceland in Convoy SC 122, with 1300 tons of British Lend-Lease cargo and 2400
tons of U.S. Army and Navy general stores. In addition, there was 500 bags of
U.S. Mail and an invasion barge atop #2 and #3 hatches.
The ship's complement consisted of 35 merchant crew, 11 U.S. Naval Armed Guard, and
one passenger, a U.S. Army Lt. Colonel. Eleven (11 ) crew members and 2 Navy men
lost their lives. Four of the crew lost were Americans.
At 1356 GCT (1156 local time), a torpedo slammed into the port side at #2 hold
starting a fire in the hold. As fate would have it, the engine room flooded as the
watertight door between the coal bunkers and fire room was not closed because coal
was being transferred from the bunkers to the fire room. The ship broke in two pieces
amidships and sank within 15 minutes.
Abandon ship was ordered between 1200 and 1206 (ship's time) in boats and rafts.
The survivors were picked up about an hour later by HMS LAVENDER (K-60) and landed
at Liverpool on March 23rd.
Ten of the crew lost were from the Engine Department, most of them working in the
engine room at the time of the explosion. The 2nd Mate was rescued but died on the
rescue ship and buried at sea.

U-338 (Kinzel) was sunk by British Sqrn. #120 on September 20, 1943 in position
57-40 N./20-48 W. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag tanker, H.H. ROGERS, was torpedoed by the German U-664
(Adolph Graef) at 1940 local time on February 21, 1943 while en route from
Liverpool to a U.S. port in Convoy ONS 167 (#13) in ballast. The attack took
place about 600 miles west of the Irish coast in position 50-13 N./24-48 W.
On board was an American merchant crew of 47 and a U.S. Naval Armed Guard crew
of 26. All were saved.
The ROGERS had just completed a voyage from New York to Liverpool where she
delivered 83,366 barrels of Fuel Oil plus a cargo of war materials. She left
Liverpool on February 12th, stopping at Belfast and leaving that port on the
14th.
At 1935 local time, an American freighter, the SS ROSARIO, in position #11, was
torpedoed. At 1940, the same U-664 that had sunk the ROSARIO attacked the
ROGERS. A torpedo hit on the port side around #10 main tank rupturing the tank
and the decks in that vicinity and the fireroom bulkhead. This resulted in the
engine and fire rooms flooding. Boat #4 was blown overboard.
After a consultation with the Chief Mate and 1st Engineer, the Master agreed
that the ship could not be saved. About a half hour after the attack, the Master
ordered the ship abandoned.
Three boats and all the rafts were launched. Boat #3 first followed by #1 and #2.
Crew members in #3 boat picked up several of the survivors from the ROSARIO who
had been in the water for an hour. Four men on a raft were rescued by one of the
British corvettes. All others in the boats and rafts rowed to the rescue ship
RATHLIN where they were taken aboard. Those on the RATHLIN were landed at
Halifax on March 6th. The four men on the British corvette were landed at St.
Johns, Newfoundland on March 1st.

The U-664 (Adolf Graef) was sunk west of the Azores on August 9, 1943 by aircraft
from the USS CARD (CVE 11) in position 40-12 N./37-29 W. Eight men were lost and
44 taken prisoner.

The MS HALMA, ex Danish "NORA ", was seized under Public Law #I01 by the U.S. on
September 8, 1941 and turned over to the War Shipping Administration for operation.
On January 6, 1942, the HALMA was registered under the flag of Panama and assigned
to the Marine Transport Line under a GAA agreement. On May 14, 1943, the HALMA
was turned over to the Cosmopolitan Shipping Company in the port of New York.
The MS HALMA sunk after striking a mine which had been laid by the German U-119
(Horst-Tessen von Kameke) while en route from Boston to Greenland via Halifax, at
1645 GCT on June 3, 1943 in Convoy BX 55 with a load of 2975 tons of general cargo
for bases in Greenland.
Due to thick fog, the HALMA got separated from the convoy and was approaching
Halifax independently when the ship struck the mine. It exploded on the port side
between #2 and #3 hatches. The explosion caused a geyser of water to shoot 75'
in the air.
The HALMA took a heavy list to port but gradually settled back on an even keel
which she maintained until she went down by the head at 1720 GCT on the same day,
35 minutes after striking the mine.
On board was a merchant crew of 37 and a Naval Armed Guard contingent of 5 men.
Also on board were 6 U.S. Army Security personnel bound for Greenland. All hands
survived.
All hands abandoned ship in 2 lifeboats. They were rescued by the S/V CAROLINE
ROSE at 1900 GCT and landed at Halifax.

The Panamanian flag tanker, MS HEINRICH v. RIEDEMANN,was torpedoed by the German
U-66 (Richard Zapp) at 2320 ship time on April 16, 1942 in position 11-55 N./
63-47 W., while en route alone from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Aruba with a
cargo of 127,041 barrels of Crude oil which had been loaded at La Guira,
Venezuela. The ship was unarmed.
On board was a crew of 44 men including the Master. All hands were saved.
The ship left La Guira at 1530 on April 14th, proceeding first to Port of Spain
for orders. Left that port at 0755 on April 16th in a small convoy. At 1325 the
convoy dispersed and the RIEDEMANN proceeded alone according to orders.
At 2320 on the same day (April 16th), a torpedo struck the tanker on the port
side in the way of #6 tank. The port diesel was damaged and stopped by the
explosion. The steering gear was also wrecked. The Master then ordered the
starboard engine stopped as the ship was going around in circles. Oil was
pouring out of #6 tank.
The ship was ordered abandoned 20 minutes after the torpedo struck. Three boats
were launched, #1-3-4. About 0040 on April 17th, another torpedo hit setting the
ship on fire which went out at 0105. At 0155 a 3rd torpedo struck and set the
ship afire again. The ship finally disappeared about 0305.
All 44 survivors got away in 3 boats. Fifteen men including the Master were in
#1 boat. Ten men were in #3 boat and 14 men were in #4 boat. #1 boat landed at
Blanquilla Island at 1900 on the 17th. On April 20th, the SS MARICAIBO picked
up the survivors in this boat and landed them at Caracas at 0600 on April 22nd.
Those in #3 and #4 boats were picked up by the Norwegian freighter KARMT at 0730
and landed them at Trinidad at 1100 on April 18th.

U-66 (Seehausen) was sunk off Cape Verde Islands in position 17-17 N./32-29 W.)
by the USS BUCKLEY (DE 51) and aircraft from the USS BLOCK ISLAND (CVE-21).
24 men from the U-66 were lost and 36 taken prisoner.

The SS HERMIS, a coal burning freighter, registered under the Panamanian flag, was
taken over by the U.S. on November I, 1941 in the port of New Orleans under Public
Law #101. The War Shipping Administration assigned her to the Lykes Bros. SS
Company at the port of New Orleans on May 12, 1942 to be operated under a GAA
agreement.
The SS HERMIS, sailing alone and unarmed, was torpedoed by the German U-158
(Erich Rostin) at 2115 ship time on June 6, 1942, while en route from New Orleans
to Aruba via Tampa, Panama City, Florida, and La Guaira, Venezuela, in position
23-08 N./84-42 W. with 4995 tons of general cargo.
On board was a complement of 47 merchant crew including 27 American seamen. One
crew member, a Coal Passer, was lost and 12 injured.
At 2115 ship's time, a torpedo struck the HERMIS on her port side just forward of
the bridge. A few minutes later a second torpedo struck on the port side at #3
hatch. The U-158 also shelled the ship. One shell hit the wheelhouse and chart
room demolishing booth. Survivors maintained that two submarines shelled the
HERMIS. After the ship was hit, it continued circling at 8 knots because the
engines could not be stopped due to the deck valve being broken. Eventually
the ship came to a stop. At 1130 EWT on June 7th, the HERMIS was seen to be
still afloat with the forward deck level with the water and the stern out of
water. The ship was still burning. The ship sank later as it was never seen again.
The crew abandoned ship in boats and rafts. Forty-six (46) survivors were picked
up by the USAT TOLOA on June 7 between 0730 and 1130 EWT and taken to Kingston,
Jamaica.

The U-158 (Rostin) was sunk west of Bermuda in position 32-50 N./67-28 W. by a U.S.
Navy plane VP-74 on June 30, 1942. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag tanker, SS I.C. WHITE, was torpedoed by the German U-66
(Richard Zapp) at 0015 ship time on September 27, 1941 in position 10-26 S.
/27-30 W., while en route, alone, from Curacao to Cape Town, with a cargo of
62,390 barrels of Maroil. The WHITE was steaming fully lighted with the
Panamanian flag flying with two spotlights on it, fully lighting the flag.
Also the Panamanian flag was painted on both sides of the ship and the Panama
Transport markings were on the stack.
On board was an American merchant crew of 37 men.Three of them were lost in
the attack which took place over two months before December 7, 1941.
At 0015, a torpedo struck the ship on the starboard side between #7 and #8
tanks. The explosion threw flaming oil up over the boat deck aft. The topmast
fell down and the ship sagged in the middle so that water ran across the deck
midships. She sank around 0300 the same day.
Three boats, #1-2-3 were launched. The Master, Chief Mate, 2nd Mate, and an
Ordinary seaman launched and boarded #1 boat. During the night they met up
with #3 boat. The Master ordered an A.B. to take charge of that boat and to
stay with #1 boat. At daylight #! boat picked up the 3rd Engineer and a Wiper
off a raft. After this, #2 boat was sighted. This boat in charge of the 3rd
Mate. Eventually, all the survivors were split up between #2 and #3 boats
with the Master in charge of #2 boat and the Chief Mate in charge of #3 boat.
The decision was made to head for the coast of Brazil setting sail at 0930 of
September 28th. On October 3rd, Boat #2 was picked up at 2348 local time by the
SS DEL NORTE, about 40 miles off Porto de Maceio, Brazil in position 10-16
S./35-23 W. The boat had sailed about 470 miles. Captain Hoehn, of the DEL
NORTE, said he had seen the boat's flare 8 miles away.
Boat #3 was picked up on October 3rd by the SS WEST NILUS (Capt. John Stern).
This boat had sailed nearly 500 miles. Both ships landed the survivors at Rio
de Janeiro on October 7th. The survivors were returned to the U.S. aboard the
American SS BRAZIL arriving New York on October 20, 1941.

The U-66 (Seehausen) was sunk off the Cape Verde Islands on May 6, 1944 by the
USS BUCKLEY (DE-51) with help from aircraft from the USS BLOCK ISLAND (CVE-21).
Of the crew of the U-66, 24 were lost and 36 taken prisoner by the U.S. Navy.

Yevic and Dobrosielski had helped to lower a lifeboat and after it was in the
water, slid down the falls but as they did so, the boat was carried away from
the ship by a wave. They dropped into the water and were not seen again.

The Panamanian flag tanker, MS J.A. MOWINCKEL, was torpedoed by the German U-576
(Hans-Dieter Heinicke) at 1625 EWTon July 15, 1942 while en route from New York to
Aruba in Convoy KS-520 no oil aboard but carrying a small quantity of dry cargo.
The tanks were loaded with 6000 tons of fresh water. Soon after the attack, the
Master of the ship headed toward shore in order to reach Hatteras Inlet or some
other safe place to anchor. In the process of doing this the ship entered a U.S.
mine field. About 1955, a mine exploded on the starboard side at #2 tank. There is
doubt whether it was a mine or torpedo. The ship did not sink but was later repaired
and put back into service.
On board was a merchant crew of 46 men and 13 U.S.Naval Armed Guard. One crew member
died of wounds,received in the explosion of the torpedo. One U.S. Navy gunner died
of his wounds, received in the explosion of the torpedo, at the Marine Hospital in
Norfolk on July 21st. Ten crew members and 4 Navy men were injured by the first
explosion but survived.
Four torpedoes had been fired by the U-576. The first hit the SS CHILORE, the 2nd
hit the MOWINCKEL, the 3rd sunk the BLUEFIELDS, and the 4th passed astern of the
MOWINCKEL.
At about 1625 EWT, the MOWINCKEL was struck in the stern but did not sink. The
torpedo hit about 8 feet below the waterline in the after part of the ship, blowing
a hole in the hull through the after peak and steering engine room. The steering
gear was wrecked along with the galley, messrooms, and after gun platform. The after
bulkhead in the engine room was ruptured allowing the engine room to take on water.
After the MOWINCKEL struck the mine the Master dropped the anchor and ordered the
ship abandoned in the fear that the ship would be attacked again. The ship was
abandoned at 2005 in four boats. Boats #1 S #3 landed at Ocracoke Inlet on July
16th at 0430. The other two were towed by a Coast Guard boat to Ocracoke Inlet.
The MOWINCKEL was towed by the tug J.P. MARTIN to Hatteras Inlet at 0300 on July
20th. The ship was beached and pumped out and floated on July 21st. At 0300 on the
22nd, the ship struck another mine at #7 tank which filled with water. After pumping
out that tank the ship was ready for towing on July 23rd. She was taken in tow by
the tug RELIEF and U.S. Navy tug USS SCOTIA. Escorted by 2 Corvettes, the tow
arrived at Hampton Roads on July 25th, then to Baltimore for temporary repairs.
Left Baltimore, in tow, on September 6th arriving New York on September 10th.
Repairs were completed on March 12, 1943, sailing the next day for Aruba.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMAN LOST
COLEMENERO, Clemente

Storekeeper

This man was working in the Messroom when the torpedo hit. He was treated by a
doctor from a destroyer but died from the wounds.

U.S. NAVAL ARMED GUARD LOST
WOLFE, Raymond V.

S 2c

This man was stationed on the after gun platform when the torpedo hit. Died from
his wounds at the Marine Hospital in Norfolk on July 21st.

The Danish flag freighter, MS JOHNSTOWN, was taken over by the U.S. at the port of
Baltimore on July 12, 1941 and turned over to the War Shipping Administration for
operation. At 1201 EST, the WSA assigned the ship to Isthmian SS Company at
Baltimore, on August 15, 1941. The ship was confiscated under an Executive Order.
The Name and registry was changed on August 19, 1941.
The MS JOHNSTOWN, a Panamanian flag freighter, was torpedoed by the Japanese
submarine 1-20 (T. Yamada) at 0607 ship's time on June 5, 1942 in position 13-12
S./42-06 W., while en route from Karachi to a U.S. port via Lorenco Marques,
Mozambique, in ballast. The ship was not zigzag-ging but making a speed of 12
knots and sailing alone. The Naval Armed Guard officer reported the running lights
had been on all night. The JOHNSTOWN was armed.
The ship's complement consisted of 43 men, 35 merchant crew and an Armed Guard (U.S.
Navy) of six (6). There were 3 American seamen in the crew, none of them lost.
At the time of the attack the ship was southbound in the Mozambique Channel. At 0600,
a torpedo was sighted about 1000 feet from the ship which passed about 600 yards
from the stern of the ship. At 0607 a torpedo struck amidships on the starboard
side. The exposion destroyed the starboard boat and covered the ship with smoke
and flames. The engines slowed to 5 knots. The whole main deck was ripped from
the explosion. At 0625, another torpedo hit the ship between #4 and #5 hatches
on the starboard side. At that time the ship quickly flooded and sank stern
first listing heavily to starboard.
The ship was abandoned between the 1st and 2nd torpedo. The survivors boarded two
boats, one a metal boat, the other a wooden boat. The number of men in these two
boats was 38 total. The survivors were distributed among the two boats, the Master
in charge of the metal boat and the Chief Mate the wooden boat. The explosion of
the torpedo (first one) blew overboard, 2 Navy gunners and a crew member. They were
able to get on a raft, one of three rafts jarred overboard by the explosions. They
were rescued by the MS TASMANIA at 1600 local time on June 5th and landed at Aden
on June 13, 1942.
The two boats were picked up later on the same day by the New Zealand hospital ship
SS MAUNGANUI and landed at Durban on June 9, 1942.
The Navy gunners stationed at the after gun platform were blown in e air by the 1st
explosion and landed on the deck, seriously injuring them both. They were later
awarded the Purple Heart. The Master and two other crew members were also injured.

The Panamanian flag tanker, MS LUBRAFOL, was Time-Chartered to the War Shipping
Administration at 1500 hours on April 24, 1942 at Aruba N.W.I.
The MS LUBRAFOL, a Panamanian flag tanker, was torpedoed by the German U-564
(Reinhard Suhren) at 0415 EWT on May 9, 1942 in position 26-25 N./80-00 W.
(about 3-1/2 miles off Hillsboro Inlet, Florida) while en route alone, from
Aruba to New York with a cargo of 67,000 barrels of #2 Heating Oil.
On board was a complement of 44 men consisting of a merchant crew of 38 and a U.S.
Naval Armed Guard contingent of 6 men. Thirteen (13/of the crew were lost and 7
were injured. There were no casualties to the Armed Guard. Two of the crew were
killed on the bridge. Of the 38 crew members, 11 of them were American citizens.
Three of them were among the 13 lost and one was injured.
At 0415 EWT, a torpedo hit on the starboard side amidships at #5 tank which burst
into flames immediately. A few seconds later #1 tank burst into flames. The Master
is of the opinion that this was caused by a second torpedo. The foremast toppled
onto the bridge from the force of the explosion. The engine was stopped at once.
The Master ordered the wheel hard over left to bring the ship broadside to the
wind with the damaged side to leeward. As all the radio antennae were destroyed,
no distress call could be sent.
The ship was abandoned in 3 boats by 42 men. Two had been killed on the bridge.
The after boat caught fire. Several crew members jumped overboard from this boat
and were lost. This boat was in charge of the Chief Mate.
Two Coast Guard boats were at the scene at once and towed the boats clear of the
burning oil to a point of safety. The 31 survivors were landed at Boynton Beach,
Florida. Seven bodies were recovered.
The U-564 (H. Fiedler) was sunk by RAF Sqdn. #10 on June 14, 1943 in position
44-17 N./10-25 W. (NW of Cape Ortegal). There were 18 survivors who were rescued
by the U-185 on the same day. They were transferred to the German destroyer Z-24.
Twenty-eight (28) went down with the U-564.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS MACBETH, was confiscated by the U.S. on July
25, 1941 under an Executive Order. The War Shipping Administration assigned the
ship to the U.S. Lines for operation at the port of Mobile on August 19, 1941
under a GAA agreement. The change of name and registry under the flag of Panama
took place on August 26, 1941.
The SS MACBETH was attacked by German aircraft at 1407 GCT on September 13,
1942 in position 76-05 N./10- 00 E., while en route from New York to Archangel,
North Russia with a cargo of war supplies, foodstuffs, and a deck load of tanks.
The MACBETH was struck by two torpedoes from one of these aircraft. They hit the
ship on the starboard side below the waterline rendering the ship helpless.
She was later sunk by shell fire from the convoy escorts.
On board was a merchant crew of 38 and a U.S. Naval Armed Guard of one officer
and 10 enlisted men. All were saved.
All hands abandoned ship under orders from the Master shortly after the
torpedoes struck. They were rescued by British Naval craft and taken to Scapa
Flow.

The tanker, MS MAMBI, operating under the control of the War Shipping
Administration, was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-176 (Reiner Dierksen),
on May 13, 1943 at 0330 local time, in position 21-25 N./76-40 W., while en
route from Port Everglades, Florida to Manzanilla, Cuba via Havana in ballast.
On board was a complement of 29 merchant crew made up of Cuban citizens and a
US. Naval Armed Guard contingent of five enlisted men. Lost in the attack were
19 of the crew members and 4 Navy men.
No further information on the loss of this ship is available such as how and
when were the survivors rescued and by whom. It is known that the survivors were
interviewed at Nuevitas, Cuba.

The SS NIMBA, a coal burning, Panamanian flag freighter, was confiscated by the
U.S. under an Executive Order, from the Finnish government at the port of New
York on December 27, 1941 and turned over to the War Shipping Administration.
The ship was then assigned to the Alcoa SS Company under a Time Charter on
January 7, 1942 at the port of New York. On June 26, 1942 she was assigned to
Alcoa on a GAA agreement at the port of St. Thomas, V.I. She was registered
under the Panamanian flag at that time.
The SS NIMBA, a Panamanian flag freighter, was torpedoed by the German U-515
(Werner Henke) at 0500 GCT on September 13, 1942 in position 10-40 N./60-15 W.,
while en route, alone and unarmed, from Paramaribo to Trinidad with a cargo of
2780 tons of Bauxite.
On board was a crew of 30 crew members plus one Work-away seaman. Of this number,
19 were lost including the Workaway seaman. Five Americans, including the Master,
were among those who were lost.
At 0500 GCT, a torpedo slammed into the starboard side of the N1MBA at #1 hold.
The explosion ripped open the deck blowing Bauxite into the air. The forward
rigging crashed to the deck. About 15 seconds later a 2nd torpedo struck on the
starboard side in the engine room. This explosion destroyed the starboard boat
and ripped up the deck in that area. There was no chance to send a distress call.
The ship sank in less than a minute after the first torpedo hit.
There was no time to launch a lifeboat. Seven survivors got on a raft. Three
others clung to planking and 2 others were in the water for 12 hours. They were
all rescued by the USS BARNEY (DD-149) at 1730 on September 13th. They were
landed at Port of Spain the next day.

The U-515 (Henke) was sunk on April 9, 1944 about 175 miles NW of Funchal,
Madeira in position 34-35 N./19-18 W. by U.S. Navy DE's. The Captain and 43 of
his crew survived and were taken prisoner.

The SS OLANCHO, a twin screw freighter, under the Honduran flag, was torpedoed by
the U-183 (Heinrich Shafer) at 0158 CWT on March 11, 1943 in position 22-40 N./85-10
W. (about 30 miles west of Cape San Antonio, Cuba) while en route, alone, from
Puerto Cortez, Honduras to Tampa, with a full load of bananas and a deck load of
Mahogany logs.
On board was a merchant crew of 41 plus 5 U.S. Naval Armed Guards. Twelve of the
merchant crew were American seamen. Three crew members were lost, 2 of them were
Americans. They jumped over the stern but went under with the suction of the ship.
The third one lost was a Honduran who was hit by the turning propeller and died
later after being picked up by a liferaft.
The 1st torpedo hit on the starboard side amidships abaft #2 hatch ripping open
the hull and demolishing the wheel-house and starboard bridge wing. The explosion
stopped the starboard engine and the engine room flooded immediately. The port
engine remained running as the Engineer was unable to stop it. He could not find
his way around the engine room in the darkness and smoke. Therefore the ship kept
going at full speed in circles until the prop was clear of the water due to the
ship settling by the bow. At 0215 a 2nd torpedo struck on the port side between #3
and #4 hatch. At 0225 the ship disappeared below the water by the bow with a
starboard list.
The OLANCHO was abandoned after the 2nd torpedo hit. Twenty-seven survivors ended
up in one boat. Ten more were on a raft (one died) leaving 9 men on that raft.
Seven more survivors clung to a hatch cover. Those in the boat and the 9 on the
raft were rescued by the SS CHOLUTECA at 0655 on March 11th. Those 7 survivors
clinging to the hatch cover were picked up by the USS ABSECON (AVP 23) and taken to
Jacksonville. They were rescued on March 13th.
Green phosphorus flares dropped from planes were very helpful in assisting surface
craft to locate the survivors.

The U-183 (Fritz Schneewind) was sunk on April 23, 1945 off Surabaja, Java by the
USS BESUGO (SS 321). The only survivor was the officer of the deck who was picked
up by the BESUGO.

The SS ONTARIO, a Honduran flag, coal burning freighter, was shelled and sunk by the
German U-507 (Harro Schacht) at 1935 CWT on May 6, 1942 in position 28-22 N./87-33 W.
while en route, alone and unarmed, from Puerto Cortes to Mobile with a full cargo of
bananas.
The crew was made up of 32 Americans, 11 Hondurans, one Dane, and one British, a total
of 45 men. All hands survived.
At 1200 CWT on May 6, 1942, the ONTARIO received a distress message from the ALCOA
PURITAN saying she was being attacked. At that time, the ONTARIO was ordered to proceed
to the nearest port. The Master ordered zigzagging patterns to commence. Her speed was
12 knots and steered a general course of NNW.
At 1925 CWT, the U-507 was sighted off the port quarter.A distress call was sent at
that time. At 1935 CWT, the U-507 commenced shelling the ONTARIO destroying the bridge,
wheelhouse, and the mainmast. The engines were stopped at this time but resumed at
1955 blowing a hole in the port quarter. The last time the ship was seen was at 2040
CWT. At this time, the ship was burning.
A salvage crew returned later to investigate the possibility of saving the ship but
she had gone down.
All hands abandoned ship safely in 3 lifeboats. They were picked up at 0130 CWT on
May 7th by the USS ONYX and put ashore at Burwood, Louisiana.

The U-507 (Schacht) was sunk NW of Natal, Brazil on January 15, 1943 in position 1-38
S./39-52 W. by U.S. Navy aircraft VP-83. There were no survivors.

Astoria, NY
Somerville, MA
Great Neck, NY
Houston, TX
New Orleans, LA
Yonkers, NY
New York City
Natchez, MS
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
Hoboken, NJ
New York City
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans, LA

The tanker, MS PANAM, was taken over by the U.S. Government from the government of
Panama. The ship was turned over to the War Shipping Administration at 0900 on July
14, 1942 in the port of New York. At the same day and time she was assigned to the
Marine Transport Lines for operation under a GAA agreement.
The Panamanian flag tanker, MS PANAM, was torpedoed by the German U-129 (Hans Witt)
at 1825 EWT on May 4, 1943, off the coast of North Carolina in position 34-10
N./76-05 W., while en route from Norfolk to Lake Charles, Louisiana in ballast.
The ship was in Convoy NK-538.
The tanker's complement was 37 merchant crew and 14 U.S. Naval Armed Guard.
Two (2) crew members were killed when the torpedo struck in the engine room.
One of them was an American citizen.
At 0825, a torpedo struck on the port side in the engine room, completely wrecking
it and completely demolishing the engines. Flooding in that area became almost
simultaneous. About 8 to 10 minutes later another torpedo struck on the port side
amidships, wrecking the pumproom. The PANAM sunk at 0855 EWT on May 4, 1943.
On May 4th at 0100 the PANAM developed engine trouble causing her to become a
straggler from the convoy thereby allowing the U-129 the chance to attack.
The Master ordered abandon ship following the explosion of the 2nd torpedo. Three
boats were launched. Some crew members jumped overboard and were picked up by the
boats. The 49 survivors were rescued by the USS SC 664 at 1400 EWT on May 4th and
landed 4 hours later at Morehead City, NC.

The U-129 was out of service in July 1944 and scuttled 8/19/44 at Lorient, France.

Unfortunately, there is no crew list for the merchant seamen in this ship's files
at the Coast Guard in Washington, DC. Therefore we don't know if there were any
other American seamen in this crew. All there is in this file pertaining to the
merchant crew is a list of names of those rescued but it does not tell their first
name, position, or nationality. Good crew lists are very hard to find in the files
of these Panamanian flag ships. Careful records of these ships were very scarce,
not being under the U.S. flag.

The SS PILLORY, ex Danish JONNA, was confiscated by the U.S. Government under
Executive Privilege. She was turned over to the War Shipping Administration at the
port of New York on June 11, 1941. On August 5, 1941 she was Bareboat Chartered
to the U.S. War Department. On March 17, 1942, the ship was assigned to the Marine
Operating Company at the port of New York under a GAA agreement. At this time she
was renamed PILLORY and registered under the flag of Panama. On August 19, 1942,
the Stockard SS Company took her over for operation. On Feburary 8, 1944 the Danish
Ship Operating Company took over the operation at the port of Norfolk under a GAA
agreement.
The SS PILLORY, a coal burning Panamanian flag freighter, was torpedoed by the
German U-539 (Lauterbach-Emden) at 1430 EWT on June 5, 1944 while en route from
San Juan P.R. to Guayanilla, P.R. in ballast to load sugar. She was escorted by
the USCG #83310, an 83' cutter, the ship was sunk in position 18-26 N./67-17 W.
On board was a merchant crew of 37 and a U.S. Naval Armed Guard contingent of 9
enlisted men and one Officer. Twenty-one (21) crew members were lost along with
four (4) of the Armed Guard. The Master was among those lost.
The PILLORY had departed San Juan about 0700 on June 5, 1942. At 1300 she made a
rendezvous with the CG #83310 Which was to be her escort. The escort took station
about 500 yards off the starboard beam where it had difficulty keeping up with the
PILLORY. At 1430 EWT, a torpedo struck directly below the starboard wing of the
bridge blowing all those in that area overboard. After the explosion the ship
list to starboard. The entire superstructure and bridge were blown away.
Three of the ship's officers and the Navy signalman were blown overboard. A hole
was blown in #2 hold flooding the hold rapidly. The engines continued running and
the propeller continued turning as the stern lifted in the air.
Two minutes after the 1st torpedo hit, a 2nd struck amidships on the starboard side
breaking the ship in two and blowing engine room machinery out through the skylight.
The PILLORY went down by the bow immediately after the 2nd torpedo hit.
There was no time to launch lifeboats but some rafts were cut loose. Those who
survived the two explosions all jumped overboard and proceeded to swim to the
rafts. Many who had jumped over the side after the 1st explosion were killed
by falling debris caused by the 2nd explosion.
Following the sinking of the PILLORY, the sea was dotted with wreckage.
The #83310 began to pick up survivors rescuing a total of 21 men. The USCG
CRAWFORD (WSC 134) picked up two more. All were taken to Mayaguez, arriving
there at 1730 on June 5th.

The U-539 (Lauterbach-Emden) surrendered at Bergen, Norway in May 1945.

The PILLORY was the only ship the U-539 sank. However, it did damage the
SS KITTANNING on July 5, 1944. The T-2 tanker was repaired and put back
into service.

*** This man, the Armed Guard officer, was blown overboard from the bridge wing
causing seven of his vertebrae to be fractured. He was hospitalized in
Mayaguez until October 12, 1944 before being evacuated to the Jacksonville
Naval Hospital.

Under an Executive Order, the SS PLAUDIT, ex Italian GUIDONIA, was taken over by the U.S.
at Norfolk on August 23, 1941. The War Shipping Administration assigned the ship to the
South Atlantic SS Company under a GAA agreement on September 25, 1941 at the port of
Norfolk. On October 8, 1941 the ship was registered under the flag of Panama and the
name changed to PLAUDIT.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS PLAUDIT, was torpedoed and shelled by the German U-181
(Wolfgang Luth) at 2000 GCT on November 8, 1942 in position 36-00 S./26-32 W., while en
route from Colombo, Ceylon to a U.S. port via Capetown loaded with 1075 tons of rubber,
1000 tons of Manganese Ore, 1000 tons of jute and gunnysack, 400 tons of tea, and 500
live monkeys as deck cargo.
At 2000 GCT, a torpedo struck on the port side in the engine room flooding that space at
once. Both port boats were demolished as was the chart room, radio shack, and port bridge
wing. No distress call could be sent. About 30 minutes after the torpedo struck, the U-181
commenced shelling the PLAUDIT, firing 15-20 rounds into the ship.
The ship was abandoned in the two starboard boats and 2 rafts without the abandon ship
signal being sounded but the ship's officers soon gained control. The U.S. Navy Armed
Guard members stationed at the after gun remained there until ordered to jump.
The ship's complement consisted of 38 merchant crew and 11 U.S. Navy Armed Guard. Seven of
the merchant crew were Americans but all survived. Two crew members, the 3rd Engineer and
the Chief Cook were lost. One Navy gunner was also lost.
The survivors were picked up about 40 hours later. Those in #3 boat were picked up at 0500
GCT on November 10 by the South African minesweeper T-01, approximately 5 miles from the
coast near Port Elizabeth. The T-01 remained in the area after receiving a message that
another boat had been spotted by a Royal Air Force plane. Those in this boat (#1) were
picked up by the T-01 at 1400 GCT on the same day, November 10th. This boat was located
about 75 miles from the coast. Survivors of both boats were transferred to the RAF crash
boat NAVIGATOR at 1415 GCT and taken to Port Elizabeth arriving there at 1730 on the same
day. Some members of the crew and Naval Armed Guard were repatriated to the U.S. aboard
the SS ROBIN DONCASTER arriving at Philadelphia on December 13, 1942.

The U-181 (Freiwald) was taken over by the Japanese in May 1945 and renamed 1-501. This
sub surrendered in Singapore and was scrapped.

***Unfortunately, the crew list in this ship's file does not
list the positions on the ship for the merchant crew.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS POMPOON, was taken over from the Finnish government
under an Exeuctive Order at the port of Philadelphia on December 27, 1941 and turned over
to the War Shipping Administration. The WSA then assigned the ship to Alcoa SS Company
under a Bareboat Charter on February 9, 1942 at the port of Philadelphia. On August 7,
1942 Alcoa operated the ship under a GAA agreement. On October 5, 1942 Bulk Carriers
took her over in the port of New York under a GAA agreement. On December 14, 1942 the
United Fruit Company took over the operation of the POMPOON under a GAA agreement and
operated her until her loss.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS POMPOON, was torpedoed by the German U-516 (Hans-Ritger
Tillessen) at 2400 GCT on November 12, 1943 in position 11-00 N,/75-00 W.(about 75 miles
north of Cartegnea) while en route, unescorted, from Cristobal to Barranquilla with a
load of general cargo and a deck load of 10'' steel pipes and steel reinforcing rods.
The ship's complement consisted of 23 crew members and 4 U.S. Navy Armed Guard. There were
only 4 survivors, a Messman and 3 Navy men. There were no Americans in the merchant crew.
At 2400 hours on November 12, a torpedo struck the ship amidships on the port side
breaking the POMPOON in two. Both ends sank with the midship part sinking first on both
ends.
There was no time to launch a boat. Five men struggled to the surface and climbed aboard
rafts that had floated free. Eventually they all got on one raft. Four men survived on
this raft from November 12 to December 3rd. The fifth man, a Cuban Radio Operator, died
on November 13 and was buried at sea. The four survivors were picked up on December 3rd
by a Panamanian flag vessel at 1330 GCT in position 9-45 N./76-45 W. They were taken to
Cristobal where they were hospitalized in serious condition.
On the raft were some stores plus other food they had taken from another raft. The stores
consisted of 6 gallons of water, 7 bottles of malted milk tablets, 3 pounds of chocolate,
and 10 pounds of hardtack. During their ordeal they were able to catch many fish.
Survivors said from the 3rd day on, they observed a steady sighting of many U.S. Navy and
Army aircraft plus many tankers and freighters but none of them ever stopped to pick them
up. One ship was so close that even the name could be read.

The coal-burning, Panamanian flag freighter, SS RACELAND, ex Italian SS IRCANIA, was
taken over by the U.S. under an Executive Order at the port of Jacksonville on June 24,
1941. The War Shipping Administration assigned the ship to the South Atlantic Line on
December 31, 1941 at Jacksonville.
The SS RACELAND, a coal-burning freighter, was sunk by German aircraft at 1115 GCT on
March 28, 1942, while en route from Boston to Murmansk in Convoy PQ-13 when about 110
miles NE of North Cape, Norway. She left Boston in February (exact day unknown)
making stops at Halifax, Grenock, Scotland, and Reykjavik. Left there on March 24th.
Her cargo consisted of 9000 tons of Russian Lend-Lease material consisting of tanks,
trucks, and planes. At the time of the attack, the RACELAND was sailing alone having
been separated from the convoy due to heavy gales on March 26th.
There was a merchant crew of 47 men aboard. The U.S.Maritime Commission War Risk
Insurance files show that 35 men were lost and 12 taken prisoner. One American was
lost and another taken prisoner.
The ship was armed with .30 caliber machine guns manned by the crew.
The RACELAND was attacked by two planes. Two bombs hit about 20 yards from the ship on
the starboard side near #3 hatch. There were no direct hits. The concussion of the
bombs caused a hole in the starboard side of the hull forward, broke deck fittings,
steam pipes, and stopping the engines. The engine room flooded and the ship took a
45° list to port. The ship finally sank at 2000 GCT.
The entire crew abandoned ship in two boats at 1135 GCT. During the night they kept
together. The next day, March 29, they became separated at 1200 GCT. On March 30th,
in the afternoon, the wind increased to gale force. On April 2nd at 1600 one boat
landed on Norwegian soil. They were rescued by Norwegian civilians after they had
spent 24 hours on the beach. They were taken to a German Naval hospital at Tromso
where they remained until April 20th. From there they were sent to the Merchant
Marine POW camp at Bremen via Wilhelmshaven.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMAN LOST
BERGHAAS, Arne (40)

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMAN TAKEN PRISONER
MIERZECKI, Jose

3rd Mate

Fireman

185 11th Ave.,
New York, NY

This seaman was in the boat that landed in Norway. He had both legs amputated in the
German hospital at Tromso after being in the boat for 6 days in freezing
temperatures and snow. Fifteen other seamen died in this boat from exposure.
The other boat was never heard from again.
The crew list in this ship's file was not the one for this voyage. Therefore, it was
impossible to determine who was on the ship. The 3rd Mate, Arne Berghaas
had made the previous trip and had signed on for another trip.

The SS PINK STAR, ex Danish flag freighter, LUNDBY, was taken over by the U.S. and
turned over to the War Shipping Administration for operation. The WSA assigned the
ship to the U.S. Lines under a GAA agreement at the port of New York on August 11,
1941. The ship was taken over under an Executive Order at the port of New York on
July 12, 1941. Renamed PINK STAR and registered in Panama on 8/13/41.
The SS PINK STAR, a Panamanian flag freighter, was torpedoed by the German U-552
at 2351 GCT on September 19, 1941 while en route from New York to a United Kingdom
port with a full cargo, in Convoy SC 44. The Commanding Officer of the U-552 was
Erich Topp.
The crew was made up of 35 merchant seamen. Thirteen (13) were lost, one of them
was an American. Another American survived.
There isn't any more data to be had in this ship's file. Nothing to describe the
attack or abandonment of the ship or of how they were rescued.

The Italian freighter, SS SANTA ROSA, was taken over by the U.S. on July 25, 1941 at
the port of Philadelphia under an Executive Order. The ship was turned over to the War
Shipping Administration for operation at that time. On September 19, 1941 the registry
of the ship was changed to Panamanian and the name changed to RAMAPO. The WSA assigned
the ship to the Waterman SS Company on October 28, 1941 under a GAA agreement.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS RAMAPO, was torpedoed by the German U-108
(Klaus Scholtz) at 1356 GCT on February 16, 1942 in position 35-06 N./65-56 W.
(West of Bermuda), while en route alone and unescorted, from Bermuda to Philadelphia.
The RAMAPO signed articles on November 6, 1941 at Philadelphia for a voyage to
Liverpool as the crew list is dated December 31, 1941 at Liverpool.
On board was a merchant crew of 38 men. There were no survivors. The crew was made up
of 11 different nationalities.
One American was in the crew. The ship had one gun aft but no gun crew was aboard.
The following contains excerpts from the log of the U-108: Feb. 16, 1942
(Times are stated as local times)
0656 ....Steamer sighted 75° True on a course of 330° T. Comes in sight at dawn.
Run ahead to get in position.
0900 .....Submerged for attack.
0956 .....Fired one torpedo from Tube Il. Ship distant 900 meters. Hit midships after 60
second run. Boiler exploded. Ship folds in middle and slowly breaks in two.
1007 .....Surfaced. Steamer sinks during surfacing. The C.O. describes the ship as follows:
Freighter, loaded, about 5000 gross tons. Straight bow, old-fashioned stern. First mast
located between #1 and #2 hatches. No hold between bridge and smokestack. Second mast
between Hatch #4 and #5. One screw. Ship painted grey. 34 survivors.
As you can see by the last log entry all but four of the crew survived the explosion.
These 34 men simply disappeared, no doubt perishing from exposure.

The U-108 (M. Brunig) was laid up in Stettin on 4/17/44. Scuttled on 4/24/45.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMEN LOST
McADOO, John Cornelius (37)
Signed on under the name Harvie E. BOYD

BOYD, Fred (35)
Crew list shows him Canadian but he lived with his wife Susan in Baltimore.

LORENTZEN, Johan O. (35)
Crew list shows him Norwegian but he lived with his wife in Glendale, NY.

McDONALD, Charlie (25)
Crew list shows him Canadian but he lived with his wife in Boston.

NICHOLSON, William (36)
Crew list shows him British but he lived with his wife in Philadelphia.

Norwegian
Chilean
Norwegian
Canadian
Norwegian
Norwegian
Norwegian
Swedish
Canadian
British
Canadian
British
Canadian
Norwegian
Canadian
Greek
Canadian
Norwegian
Canadian
Irish
Canadian
Canadian
British
Canadian
Norwegian
Dutch
Greek
French
British
Argentine
British
British
British

The Panamanian flag sailing vessel (4 Masted Schooner), REINE MARIE STEWART,
was shelled and torpedoed by the Italian submarine DA VINCI (Luigi Longanesi-Cattani)
at 2250 GCT on June 2, 1942, while en route from New York to an East African port with
a cargo of lumber cut for fruit boxes with a deck cargo of same, piled 6'- 8' high
covered with canvas. She was sailing alone and unarmed.
On board was a crew of eleven men including the Master.All were saved.
When about 40 miles SW of Freetown, Sierra Leone in position 7-16 N./13-20 W. the
REINE MARIE STEWART was attacked by the Italian sub DA VINCI with shelling at first
then by a torpedo sinking the ship. At the time the vessel was becalmed and showing
no lights. No electricity on board, only kerosene lanterns,
The crew of ] 1 abandoned ship in the one lifeboat, a 16' long, clinker built,
wooden boat with an inboard motor. They headed for the West African coast and were
eventually rest cued by the British SS AFGHANISTAN and landed at Capetown around
the 24th of June. The crew was repatriated to the U.S. on the SS MONTEREY. The date
of rescue is unknown.

The LEONARDO DaVINCI was sunk on May 23, 1943 off the Azores in position 42-16 N./
15-40 W. by HMSNESS (K-219) and HMS ACTIVE (11-14). The sub wascommanded by
Gianfranco Gazzana. Number of lostand survivors account is not available.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SAN BLAS, was Time-Chartered to the War Shipping
Administration from the United Fruit Company at Galveston on May 22, 1942 at 1800.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SAN BLAS, a freight and reefer ship, was torpedoed
by the German U-158 (Erich Rostin) at 2150 CWT on June 16, 1942, in position 25-26
N./95-33 W., while en route from Galveston to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala in ballast.
She was sailing alone and blacked out.
On board the SAN BLAS was a complement of 39 merchant crew and a U.S. Naval Armed
Guard of five. Of this number, 27 crew members including the Master and 3 Navy
gunners were lost. There were 8 Americans in the merchant crew. Three were lost.
Two torpedoes were fired by the U-158. The first barely missed the stern area but the
2nd torpedo hit at the port quarter blowing the stern to pieces, blowing open #4
hatch, carried away the mainmast, and stopped the engines. The SAN BLAS went down
within 3-4 minutes, sinking by the stern with a heavy starboard list.
There was no chance to launch any boats but 4 rafts were cut away. Fourteen (14)
survivors (12 crew & 2 Navy gunners) were picked up on June 29 at 1250 CWT in position
28-01 N./96-02 W. by the U.S. Navy PBY #26. They were landed at Corpus Christi a few
hours later. They had survived 13 days on the rafts.

The U-158 (Rostin) was sunk west of Bermuda (32-50 N./ 67-28 W.) on June 30, 1942 by
U.S. Navy aricraft VP-74. There were no survivors.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMEN LOST
EVANS, John (25)
GOULD, Sherman (30)
NAISMITH, Robert (56)

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SAN GIL, was torpedoed by the German U-lO3 (Werner
Winter) at 2350 EST on February 3, 1942 in position 38-12 N./74-42 W. while en route
from Puerto Cortes, Honduras to Philadelphia with a full cargo of Bananas. She was
making about 13 knots, sailing alone, and not zigzagging. The ship was completely
blacked out and was unarmed.
On board was a crew of 41 men. Two men in the engine room were killed in the explosion.
A torpedo struck the SAN GIL on the port side in the engine room causing immediate
flooding. The port lifeboat was destroyed as was the radio equipment. Messages of
distress were sent on the emergency transmitter. The ship listed sharply to starboard.
About 20 minutes after the torpedo struck the sub surfaced and commenced shelling the
ship from the starboard side. There were about 8-12 direct hits but did not sink the
ship. About 0030 on February 4th a 2nd torpedo hit the ship amidships on the starboard
side causing the SAN GILL to sink in 5 minutes.
The ship was abandoned in one boat about 10 minutes after the first attack. A second
boat left the ship about 10 minutes later. The shelling did not commence until the
second boat had cleared the ship.
The 39 survivors were rescued by the USCG NIKE (WPC-112) on the 4th of February. The
file on this ship does not show where the survivors were landed but it could be assumed
that it was Lewes, Delaware as it was the closest point to where the survivors were
found.

The U-103 was bombed and sunk while berthed at Kiel, Germany on April 15, 1945. It
was out of com- mission when sunk. There was no crew aboard.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SAN PABLO, owned by the United Fruit Company, was
Bareboat Chartered to the War Shipping Administration and then Time-Chartered back to
the United Fruit Company on May 16, 1942 at the port of New Orleans.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SAN PABLO, was torpedoed by the German U-161
(Albrecht Achilles) on July 2, 1942 at 2110 local time while the ship was berthed at
the dock in Port Limon, Costa Rica discharging cargo. The dock area was fully
illuminated at the time.
At 2001 local time, two torpedoes struck the ship in #1 and #2 holds. The ship
flooded immediately and quickly settled to the bottom with only her superstructure
above water. The ship quickly flooded due to the fact that all watertight doors
between the cargo holds had been left open.
On March 6, 1943, after the ship had been raised from the bottom, the tug CRUSADER
took her in tow bound for Tampa but had to stop at Puerto Castilla for fuel arriving
there on March 12th. Arrived Key West on March 24th and departed on the 26th arriving
Tampa on March 28th for repairs. The War Shipping Administration declared her a Total
Constructive Loss on September 10, 1943. She was towed to Panama City,Florida arriving
there on December 12, 1943 for scrapping.
One crew member, a Fireman on watch in the engine room, was killed in the explosion.
He was an American citizen. Also 23 Longshoremen working in the holds were killed.
Records show that these men were residents of Port Limon. Nine were Costa Ricans,
13 were British subjects, and one was a Panamanian. The Fireman's body was never found.
At the time of the attack all but three crew members were ashore. All the stevedores
were trapped in #1 and #2 holds when the explosion occurred.

U-161 (Achillis) was sunk off Bahia, Brazil in position 1_2-30 S./35-35 W. by
U.S. Navy plane VP-74. There were no survivors.

The SS SCAPA FLOW, ex Finnish ANJA, was confiscated by the U.S. under an Executive
Order at the Port of Baltimore on December 27, 1941 and turned over to the War
Shipping Administration. The WSA then allotted the ship to the American-West
African Line on January 3, 1942 for operation under a GAA agreement at Baltimore.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SCAPA FLOW, was torpedoed by the German U-134
(Rudolp Schendel) at 1430 ship time on November 14, 1942, while en route alone from
Freetown, Sierra Leone to Philadelphia via Trinidad, with a cargo of 4500 tons of
Manganese ore, 1500 tons of Latex in drums, and 500 tons of baled rubber.
The ship's complement consisted of 47 crew members and 13 U.S. Naval Armed Guard.
The Master and 25 crew members and 7 Navy gunners were lost. Six of the Navy men
were pinned under the after gun deck which had collapsed from the explosion and
went down with the ship as they were unable to free themselves. The 7th Navy gunner
died in the boat.
The SCAPA FLOW left New York on August 1, 1942 loaded with 7500 tons of general
cargo, mostly war supplies for West African ports. Her Master was Samuel Newbold
Mace, 44 years old, of Map[ewood, NJ. On board was a multi-national crew of which
22 were American seamen.
After stopping at Key West for orders on the 7th of August, she arrived at Trinidad
on August 27th. Left Port of Spain on September 1st and arrived Takoradi on the
13th. All cargo was discharged at that port. From Takoradi, the ship proceeded to
various West African ports picking up cargo. Her last port was Freetown leaving
there on November 8, 1942.
At 1430 on November 14, two torpedoes struck the ship on the port side, the first
hitting under the bridge and the 2nd torpedo at #3 hatch, a little forward of the
fireroom. At the time of the attack she was sailing alone, making a speed of 6-1/2
knots due to one boiler being shut down for repairs. When the torpedoes hit, the
bottom of the ship seemed to fall out. She settled below the water in less than a
minute. Survivors said the German wasted a torpedo because one would have done the
job as the ship was in such a dilapidated condition.
The ship was equipped with four wooden lifeboats plus one metal boat which had been
obtained from the Liberty ship SS JOHN CARTER ROSE at some port where they had been
berthed together. Also on board were 4 square rafts and a donut type raft.
(The JOHN CARTER ROSE was torpedoed and sunk on October 8, 1942).
The ship was abandoned at once. The 4 wooden boats broke up as they hit the water.
The metal boat from the ROSE came to the surface after the ship went down. Four of
the rafts also surfaced. Survivors climbed on the rafts and later got in the boat.
At 1000 the next morning all supplies were taken from the rafts. The rafts were set
adrift. The number of survivors in this boat was 28 men, 21 merchant crew and 7
Navy gunners. One Navy gunner died in this lifeboat and was buried at sea.
The survivors were picked up on December 1, 1942 by HMS ARMERIA K-187 and landed at
Freetown on December 7th. They were repatriated from Freetown on January 1, 1943
arriving New York on January 15th.
Survivors stated that two of the merchant crew went down with the ship attempting
to launch the life rafts. They also stated that the stern of the boat was badly
damaged but a life preserver was jammed into the opening which stopped the flow
of water into the boat. It proved to be very seaworthy after that for it survived
for 17 days including several days of very rough weather.
Survivors also stated to Naval authorities that the gun decks on this ship were very
dangerous being of flimsy construction. They vibrated terribly when the ship was
underway. The faulty construction of the after gun deck was the cause of the loss
of the 6 Navy gunners aft.
Survivors were questioned by the U-Boat Commander and were given a tin of bandages.
He asked for the Master and Chief Engineer but was told they went down with the
ship.

The U-134 (H-C Brosin) was sunk on August 24, 1943 in position 42-07 N./9-30 W. by
RAF Sqdr. #179. There were no survivors.

The MS SHEHERAZADE, a Panamanian flag tanker, was turned over to the War Shipping
Administration by the French government on February 7, 1942 at Mobile, Alabama. On
February 18, 1942 at 12:01 AM she was Bareboat Chartered to the Marine Transport
line at Mobile. Registry was changed to the country of Panama.
The Panamanian flag tanker, MS SHEHERAZADE, was torpedoed by the German U-158
(Erich Rostin) on June 11, 1942 at 0455 EWT in position 28-41 N./91-20 W. (about
20 miles west of Ship Shoal Buoy) while en route from Newport News to Houston in
ballast and unescorted.
Total complement on board was 44 merchant crew and 15 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. One
crew member, the 2nd Cook, was lost. He was a Canadian citizen. All others survived.
At 0455 EWT, one torpedo struck on the starboard side amidship. Following that
another torpedo struck in the starboard bunker tank destroying all power facilities
and stopping the engines. As a result of these two torpedoes the ship took a 45°
list to starboard.
At 0505 EWT, a third torpedo hit the ship in the engine room on the starboard side.
Immediately after this, the ship capsized with the bottom up. After the tanker had
capsized, the U-158 fired 8 rounds from her deck gun into the hull of the ship.
The ship was abandoned at 0503. The MIDSHIPMAN, a shrimp boat, picked up 26
survivors from the ship's launch and 9 others who had jumped overboard. These 35
survivors were landed at Morgan City, Louisiana on June 1 lth at 2300 EWT. A
lifeboat containing 23 survivors was picked up by the F/V 40 FATHOMS on June 11,
1942 at 0830 and landed at Morgan City at 1640 on the same day.

The U-158 (Rostin) was sunk on June 30, 1942 west of Bermuda in position 32-50
N./67-28 W. by U.S. Navy plane VP-74. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SIR HUON, ex Danish COLUMBIA, was taken over
by the U.S. in the Port of Baltimore under Public Law 101 on July 17, 1941. The
ship was turned over to the War Shipping Administration for operation. The WSA
assigned the ship to the U.S. Lines under a GAA agreement on the same day,
July 17, 1942 at Baltimore.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS SIR HUON, was torpedoed by the German U-66
(Friedrich Markworth) at 0344 GCT on Augsut 30, 1942 while en route alone,
from Port Elizabeth, South Africa to Baltimore via Port of Spain, Trinidad,
carrying 7627 tons of cargo which included Chrome ore, Wool, Asbestos, and a
deck cargo of damaged Italian and German tanks captured in Libya. They were
loaded on the forward deck.
On board was a crew of 37 and a U.S. Naval Armed Guard contingent of nine (9).
The crew was made up of 10 different nationalities. There were no Americans in
this crew.
A torpedo struck the ship on the port side at #2 hatch. The explosion blew
away the forward deck. There was immediate flooding causing the ship to list to
port. The engines were stopped as it was impossible to maneuver. The SIR HUON
sank at 0453 GCT, plunging bow first.
The ship was abandoned in 2 lifeboats. One boat, containing 23 survivors was
picked up by the Panamanian flag freighter TAMBOUR on September 4th and landed
at Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana on September 6, 1942. The other boat, containing
23 survivors, was picked up by the Argentine tanker THIRTEENTH DICEMBRE on
September 3rd and landed at Curacao on September 7th. All hands were saved.

The U-66 (Gerhard Seehausen) was sunk on May 6, 1944 off Cape Verde Islands in
position 17-17 N./32-29 W. by the USS BUCKLEY (DE 51) and aircraft from the
USS BLOCK ISLAND (CVE-21). Twenty-four of the crew of the U-66 were lost and
36 were taken prisoner.

The SS STANVAC CALCUTTA was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration for war
service at Covenas, Colombia on April2.5, 1942.
The tanker, SS STANVAC CALCUTTA, was attacked and sunk by the German Armed Raider,
STIER, ex German CAIRO (also known as Schiff 23), under the command of Captain
Horst Gerlach, on June 6, 1942 at 1012 ship's time. The ship was en route from
Montevideo, Uruguay to Caripito, Venezuela in ballast and unescorted. She had left
Montevideo on May 29, 1942. The attack took place about 500 miles off the coast of
Brazil.
On board was a complement of 42 merchant crew and 9 Naval Armed Guard. Of this
number, 14 merchant seamen were killed in the attack plus 3 Navy gun crew. One
crew member, the 1st Engineer, died in Camp Fukuoka, a Japanese POW camp. Eleven
crew members were wounded.
The attack commenced at 1012 ship's time. When the Master arrived at the bridge,
along with the Chief Mate, the STIER was sighted about 4 points off the port bow
about 4 miles distant. The STIER raised the International Code Signal to "STOP
ENGINES". The Master of the CALCUTTA then ordered the ship to slow speed until
the Chief Mate spotted the German ensign flying from the mainmast. Captain
Karlsson then called for full speed and hard right rudder to run away from the
STIER. He then gave orders to open fire from both the forward and the after gun.
Both guns fired about 20 to 25 shells each, two of which hit the STIER at the
forward mast, the other entering the crew's quarters aft of #5 hatch wounding two
men.
The STIER replied with 148 rounds of 5.9 inch and a torpedo which caused terrible
damage and the sinking of the ship.The ship listed rapidly and became dead in the
water settling by the stern. The Chief Mate tried to correct the list with ballast
but noticing the ship was dead in the water and out of commission, he returned to
the bridge where he found the Master and the man at the wheel both dead and the
body of the Radio Operator near the Radio Room.
All the survivors were picked up by the STIER. Martin Hyde, an Ordinary Seaman,
died of his wounds on board the STIER on June 7th and was buried at sea with an
American flag draped over him. The service was conducted by a shipmate.
The survivors of the CALCUTTA, wounded and unwounded, remained together until June
12th, when the German supply tanker, MS CHARLOTTE SCHLIFMANN, fueled the STIER.
It was at this time that 24 of the survivors (17 merchant crew and 7 Navy men)
and all unhurt, were put aboard the supply tanker. At some unknown date, they were
transferred to the German freighter, DOGGERBANK (ex British SPEYBANK) which took
them to Japan where they were imprisoned at Camp Fukuoka.
The remaining survivors, all wounded, were kept aboard the ST1ER until July 27th.
At this time ten of them were put aboard the tanker CHARLOTTE SCHLIEMANN, which
had returned to fuel the STIER. An A.B. from the CALCUTTA, was kept aboard the
STIER, too badly wounded to be moved.
This tanker took these ten from the CALCUTTA to Japan landing them at Yokohama in
October 1942. They were imprisoned at Camp Osaka where they were kept until the end
of hostilities.
Sixteen of the crew members survived for the duration of the war. The 1st Engineer,
Arthur R. Mont, died in this camp in March 1944. The A.B., Sahadi Hassan, left on
the STIER-was yet to experience another sinking.
On September 27, 1942, the STIER became embroiled in a gun fight with the American
Liberty Ship SS STEPHEN HOPKINS. The STIER was so badly damaged the ship had to be
abandoned and eventually sunk, All survivors of the STIER, iincluding Hassan, were
taken aboard the German blockade runner TANNENFELS. The TANNENFELS landed at
Bordeaux where Hassan was placed in Val de Grace hospital. When he had recovered
from his wounds he was sent to a German POW camp for merchant seamen at Milag und
Milag. He was liberated on April 28, 1945 by the advancing Allied armies.
When the CALCUTTA failed to arrive at Caripito on the due date, which was June 19th,
concern for her safety was felt. As the days and weeks passed, it had to be assumed
the ship and its crew had disappeared.
On November 20, 1942, death certificates were issued for all the crew members by the
War Shipping Administration and War Risk insurance benefits were paid to the next
of kin.
Ten months later, on March 19, 1943, a letter to Socony Vacuum from Sahidi Hassan,
who was in a hospital in France, suffering from wounds, and asking for shoes and
cigarettes and anything else that was convenient to send through the Red Cross.
These things were sent to him with a letter asking how he had become wounded.
The Company checked the crew list of the CALCUTTA and discovered he was on the
ship when she left Montevideo.
On May 17, 1943, the company was informed by Washington that 27 crew members of
the CALCUTTA were prisoners of war in Japan. When this became known the WSA revoked
the death benefits and attempts were made to get the War risk insurance money
paid back to the government.
The "STANVAC CALCUTTA" was awarded the Gallant Ship Citation. (See Page 552)

The Panamanian flag tanker, SS STANVAC MANILA, was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine
1-17 (Hakue Harada) at 0410 ship's time on May 23, 1943 in position 23-44 S./166-30 E.
(about 75 miles from Noumea) while en route from New York to Noumea, New Caledonia
with a full load of Navy fuel, 150 tons of machinery for the Navy, and 6 Motor
Torpedo boats on deck. She left New York on April 2nd and Balboa, C.Z. on May 3rd.
On board was a complement of 165 men consisting of 50 merchant crew, 27 U.S. Naval
Armed Guard, and 88 U.S. Navy personnel of different ratings who were crew members
of the 6 PT boats on deck. Eight (8) of the merchant crew, 3 of the Navy gunners, and
one crew member of the PT Squadron were lost. Eleven crew members were hospitalized
at Noumea.
The torpedo struck the ship at 0410 on the port side in the engine room and crew
quarters, destroying the engine room and crew quarters directly above. The vessel
carried its way for another 3 miles before stopping.
Three boats and 2 rafts were launched. The 6 PT boats floated free as the ship settled.
Two of them were so badly damaged they had to be sunk by Navy personnel. One lifeboat,
with 20-25 men in it, was overturned on top of these men when a huge wave hit the boat
while it was alongside the ship. All of these men were forced to swim away from the
ship as it setfied. They were picked up by the PT boats. Later in the day the Mine
Layer USS PREBLE (DM 20) came on the scene and towed all 4 PT boats into Noumea.

The 1-17 (Harada) was sunk August 19, 1943 by the New Zealand Armed Trawler TU1 and
U.S. Navy Squadron VS-57 in position 23-26 S./16-50 E. or about 40 miles SE of Noumea
Bay. Six survivors were taken prisoner.

The Panamanian flag tanker, SS STANVAC MELBOURNE, was torpedoed and damaged by the
German U-203 (Rolf Mutzelburg) at 0030 and O113 EWTon April 12, 1942 while en route
from New York to ,a, ruba in ballast and unescorted, while in position 33-42 N./
77-35 W. (About 15 miles from Frying Pan Shoal Inside Buoy).
On board was a complement of 40 merchant crew and 8 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. Three
crew members were lost abandoning ship.
At 0030 EWT, an explosion was heard from under the after part of the ship which
jarred the ship and tripped the automatic alarm. The engines were stopped and the
ship was examined for damage. None was found so the ship resumed her headway at
0037 on the same course but not zigzagging. At 0113, a torpedo struck on the port
side at #7 tank causing the ship to list to port and opening a hole 30' x 30' in
the hull and also several small holes on the starboard side. A distress call was
sent and it was answered.
At 0120, the ship was abandoned by all hands except the Master, an Oiler, and a
Navy gunner. Lifeboats #1-2-4 were launched without difficulty but #3 boat had some
difficulty when the securing strap fouled the hand grabs while the boat was being
lowered. The boat was on its beam ends for a minute. At that time a sea lifted the
boat and ripped off the grabs from the boat. The boat then righted and became
waterborne and the releasing gear let go. Only one man was in this boat. Three other
crew members were on rafts and then taken aboard #2 boat.
The Chief Mate, who was in charge of #2 boat, related how he observed 2 submarines
on the surface after #2 boat had drifted to a point about 500 feet off the port
quarter of the MELBOURNE. About 0130, one of the subs surfaced under #2 boat,
completely capsizing it with all the occupants underneath. As a result of this
action, two men later perished in the boat after it was righted. Both were buried
at sea from the boat. This boat, (#2 boat) and its occupants, were rescued about
1320 on April 12, by the USS PC 472. They were later transferred to CG 186 which
landed them at Southport, NC at 0153 on April 14th.
The 14 survivors in #4 boat were picked up by the MV WILLIAM PENN and were put
ashore at Morehead City, NC.
The Master, an Oiler, and the Navy gunner in charge of the Armed Guard had remained
aboard. At 0130, the Master let go the port anchor hoping the boats might be
able to get back aboard. However, rough seas prevented this from happening.
The three men still onboard stayed there all night.
Later on in the afternoon of April 12th, two tugs and the Armed Trawler HMS NORTHERN
DUKE came alongside and assisted in the raising of the anchor and rigging the
towing hawser. Towing commenced that night and continued through the next day
(13th) arriving at a safe anchorage in Southport, NC that night. The next day the
tow proceeded to Wilmington, NC arriving on the same day, the 14th. The crew
returned aboard on the 16th. The ship was fully repaired at Charleston, SC and
returned to service on July 2, 1942.

The U-203 (Hermann Kottmann) was sunk April 25, 1943 south of Greenland in position
55-05 N./42-25 W. by HMS PATHFINDER (G-10) and aircraft from HMS BITER. Eleven were
lost and 38 taken prisoner.

U.S. MERCHANT CREW LOST
BAYA, Salah
PARKS, Robert
REVOLI, Paul

A.B.
Steward
A.B.

Disappeared after abandoning ship
Died in #2 boat
Died in #2 boat

The Panamanian flag tanker, SS STANVAC MELBOURNE, was torpedoed and sunk by the German
U-515 (Werner Henke) at 0405 ship's time on Septmber 12, 1942, while en route from Para,
Brazil to Aruba via Trinidad in ballast, in position 10-30 N./60-20 W. (About 15 miles
SE of Emerald Shoals off Trinidad). The ship was sailing unescorted.
Her complement consisted of 40 merchant crew and 9 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. One crew
member, an A.B., was lost after the 2nd torpedo hit.
At 0405 ship's time, a torpedo struck on the port side just forward of the bridge
followed immediately by a second which struck just aft of the bridge. The ship listed
25° to port but still kept some headway until the Jr. 3rd Engineer, on watch in the
engine room, stopped the engine. About 0425, a 3rd torpedo struck the stern,
exploding in the engine room blowing holes in both sides of the ship. She finally sank
at 0515 turning over and sinking by the stern with her bow straight up.
After the 2nd torpedo struck, the Master ordered abandon ship. All hands left the ship
except the Master, 2nd Mate, Radio Operator, and an Able Seaman. After the 3rd torpedo
hit, the Master, knowing the ship could not be saved, ordered them to get off the ship.
The 2nd Mate jumped overboard but the other three climbed down the boat ladder into the
water. They were picked up by #1 boat which was in charge of the Chief Mate.
At daybreak, the 3 boats together headed for Trinidad. About 2200 that night they landed
near Toco Pt. where they were met by natives who took them to a house, They were then
taken to the survivor's camp at Port of Spain remaining there until September 16th when
they were put aboard a USAT ship for repatriation to the U.S.

The U-515 (Henke) was sunk April 9, 1944 north of Madeira (35-35 N./19-18 W. by 4 U.S.
Destroyer Escorts. There were 44 survivors including the C.O. who was later killed in
an escape attempt from a U.S. POW camp.

The Panamanian tanker, SS STANVAC PALEMBANG, was torpedoed by the German U-203
(Rolf Mutzelburg) at 2155 ship's time on July 11, 1942 in position 11-28 N/60-23 W.
(About 15 miles off Tobago Island while en route alone, from Santos, Brazil to Port
of Spain, Trinidad in ballast.
On board was a complement of 43 merchant crew and 7 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. Two crew
members and 3 Navy gunners were lost. One crew member who survived this sinking was
lost on the SS ROBERT E. LEE, the ship on which he was being repatriated to the U.S.
The 1st torpedo struck on the starboard quarter wrecking the engine room and stopping the
engines. The Master ordered abandon ship. He and a few crew members plus the entire Navy
crew remained aboard. In the meantime, the sub had surfaced and inquired among the two
boats for the Master. Then another torpedo was fired striking the ship on the port
quarter. He followed that with 36 rounds from the deck gun of the sub. Every shell was
a hit on the ship. The ship sank at 2325 on July 11,1942.
The 2nd torpedo killed an Ordinary Seaman in his quarters directly above the blast and
killed an Oiler in the Engine Room. The explosion from this torpedo blew up through the
steering engine room and reduced the gun platform to a mass of twisted steel killing 3
of the 7 Navy gunners who were manning the aft gun. Three of the surviving Navy gunners
then followed the Master to #2 boat in which they abandoned ship. While getting the boat
away from the ship, the Master heard a faint cry. It was the fourth Navy gunner. He
was told to go to the stern and jump. He did this and was picked up by that boat. He
was badly injured.
The 45 survivors were picked up from 3 boats by the USS PC 8 at 1600 local time on July
12th and landed them at Port of Spain on the same day. They were being repatriated to
New Orleans aboard the SS ROBERT E. LEE when that ship was torpedoed on July 30 near
the entrance to the Mississippi River. The survivors were picked up by various rescue
craft and taken to Venice, Louisiana. The survivors from the PALEMBANG were taken to
New York by train.

The U-203 (Kermann Kottmann) was sunk April 25, 1943 south of Greenland in position
55-05 N/42-25 W. by HMS PATHFINDER (G 10) and aircraft from HMS BITER. Eleven were
lost and 38 taken prisoner.

U.S. MERCHANT SEAMEN LOST
FAJARDO, Miguel L.
LOPEZ, Manuel
MORENO, Alexander
The three merchant seamen lost were from the Philippines.

Oiler
O.S.
Oiler

(Killed in Engine Room)
(Killed in his quarters)
(Lost on ROBERT E. LEE)

The Panamanian flag freighter, SS STONE STREET, was turned over to the War Shipping
Administration by the Italian Societa Anonima Di Navigazione at 1000 on June 18, 1941 in
the port of Savannah, Georgia. At 1200 noon of the same day, the WSA assigned the ship to
the Waterman SS Company under a GAA agreement.
The SS STONE STREET was torpedoed by the German U-594 (Friedrich Mumm) at 1135 ship's
time on September 13, 1942 in position 48-18 N./39-43 W. while en route from Liverpool to
New York in ballast. This ship was a part of Convoy ON 127(s) #13 but had been ordered
out of the convoy due to its continual smoking and straggling.
About 0100 on September 13th, while steaming in an area outside the convoy, explosions
were heard and snowflakes were seen in the direction of the convoy. Upon seeing this,
the Master changed course more to starboard to get further away from the convoy, a
distance of about 12 miles.
At 1135 ship's time, a torpedo struck the ship in the engine room on the port side.
Another torpedo barely missed the bow. No distress signal was sent due to the destruction
of the antennas. The ship listed 45ø to port with the engines still running and the
screw still turning. Abandon ship was ordered immediately by the Master. One lifeboat
and one raft was launched.
After the attack and the ship abandoned, a small sub surfaced followed by a large one.
The smaller sub capsized the boat throwing the occupants into the water. They were taken
aboard the U-594 and asked many questions and then put aboard the raft. The Master was
kept aboard as a prisoner of war.
Survivors righted the lifeboat. Some got in the boat. The others stayed on the raft. The
40 survivors were picked up 6 days later on September 19th by the SS IRISH LARCH. They
were landed at Saint John, New Brunswick on September 22nd. After spending the night
there, they proceeded to New York via train arriving there at 1530 on the 25th.
There was a complement of 40 crew members and 12 U.S. Naval Armed Guard on board. Eleven
crew members and two Navy man were lost. Six of those lost were American seamen. Norbert
Amborski, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Engine Cadet, was lost when the life line on which
he was lowering himself into the boat broke. He was thrown into the rough seas and pulled
under by the still turning propeller. John Watt, a 47-year-old Messman was lost trying to
save Amborski. The Bosun, Tony Hendrickson, was killed by the explosion of the torpedo.
The others either went down with the ship or drowned while trying to abandon the ship.
The STONE STREET was under the command of Harald Anderson, 57 years old, who lived in
Floral Park, NY. He was a native of Denmark but had been an American citizen since 1922.
He was taken prisoner by the Commander of the U-594 and spent the rest of the war in a
German POW camp for merchant seamen. He continued to sail for Waterman after the war until
1949.
Articles were signed in New York about July 2, 1942. She left New York on July 6th,
stopping at Woods Hole and departing there on July 9th in Convoy BX 28. Arrived Halifax
on July 11 and departed July 19 in Convoy HX 199.
On July 22, engine and telemotor trouble forced the STONE STREET to leave the convoy at
2130 local time. She was ordered into St. John's Newfoundland arriving there at 1630 on
July 23rd. After completing repairs, the ship left St. John's on August 11th arriving
Belfast, No. Ireland on August 21 at 0750. Left Belfast on August 27 and arrived at
Stalbridge Pier, Garsten, England on August 28th. Left there on September 5 - Convoy
ON 127 (s).
The following information was taken from an excellent report submitted to the Vice
Chief of Naval Operations concerning the loss of the SS STONE STREET. The report was
made by Granville C. Geisert, Lt.(jg) Armed Guard officer of the ship.
The forward starboard boat (#1) was the only boat launched. The after starboard boat was
lowered but the forward motion of the ship swamped it and crushed it against the side of
the ship. The forward port boat (#2) was destroyed by the explosion. The aft port boat
was thrown up on the boat deck and got tangled up in such a position that it could not
be lowered. The after port raft was launched but the after starboard raft was jammed.
Lifeboat #1, with Captain Anderson in charge, picked up the men floating in the water.
There were 11 men on the raft that was safely launched.
Two of the Naval Armed Guard were lost while abandoning ship. One of them drowned when
he could not swim any longer. He did not have a life jacket because he had stayed at the
boat station helping to lower the boat wbich he was unable to reach after it was in the
water. The other was blown overboard and struck by the screw mangling his legs. Although
he had on a lifejacket, he drowned before he could be picked up.
At 1200, the periscope of a submarine passed within 20 feet of the raft holding the
Armed Guard Officer and 10 men. At 1215 the STONE STREET sank and a submarine surfaced
by another raft which held some survivors. Evidently this raft floated free as the ship
sank. The sub approached the raft and asked for the Master and Chief Engineer. They were
told to ask the lifeboat.
At 1225, a larger submarine surfaced and began signalling to the smaller one already
surfaced. The smaller sub (U-594) approached the lifeboat and asked for the two officers.
The 3rd Mate and the Master were taken aboard the sub and it pulled away from the boat.
After a few minutes the sub returned to the boat and in the process capsized the lifeboat
throwing all its occupants in the water. These men were taken aboard the U-594 while the
sub commander tried to determine who was the Master plus asking many questions about the
ship. Upon request the men were given whiskey, food, cigarettes, and matches.
After attempting to right the capsized boat, the 17 survivors were placed on 2 rafts.
The U-594 then left with Captain Anderson. Before leaving, the Master placed the 3rd Mate
and the Navy Coxswain in charge of the 2 rafts. The two were tied together by a line and
drifted away together. The Armed Guard Officer was on the other pair of rafts with 11 men
on each raft with Chief Mate Pedersen in charge. Also in the area was a swamped lifeboat
with 7 survivors aboard but the rafts could not maneuver enough to go to their assistance.
On September 15 at 1000, the two rafts in charge of the Chief Mate and on which the Armed
Guard officer was aboard, a capsized lifeboat was sighted. After two hours of propelling
the two rafts toward the boat they finally reached it. The boat was righted and bailed
out. It was found to be in useable condition with almost all the provisions and supplies
intact. This was #1 boat, the one the Germans had capsized. All the provisions on the
rafts were put aboard the boat. One raft was cast adrift but the other was secured to the
boat. They commenced rowing in a SW direction.
On September 16 at 0500, a mast and flag was sighted about 4 miles to the westward. The
boat altered course and came upon the swamped boat they had seen 3 days ago with the 7
men in it. They arrived alongside the boat at 1350. In the boat was one man still alive
and the bodies of the 4th Engineer, Chief Steward, 2nd Engineer, an Oiler, Fireman, and
Deck Engineer. They had died of exposure and some went overboard. The lone survivor in
this boat was Walter Atkins, an A.B., an American. He was put on the raft tied to the
boat along with the provisions from his boat.

On September 17 at 0600 these two rafts were picked up by the SS IRISH LARCH in position
48-50 N./40-00 W. The 17 men on the other rafts were picked up at 0130 that same morning.
They had told the Master of the IRISH LARCH there were other survivors so the Master
searched until the other 2 rafts were found.

The U-594 (Mumm) was sunk west of Gibraltar in position 35-55 N./9-24 W. by Hudson
aircraft "F" of RAF Sqdr. #43. The U-599 was caught on the surface and sunk by 3
rockets. There were no survivors among her 50 man crew. The U-594 left St. Nazaire
May 23, 1992 with orders to break through into the Mediterranean and join the 29th
U-Boat Flotilla. She was sunk at 1503 on June 9,1943.

NOTE: Many thanks to Leonard Amborski for his donation of much of the data concerning
the loss of the "STONE STREET". His brother, Norbert Amborski, was lost on this ship.

The Panamanian flag tanker, SS SYLVAN ARROW, was torpedoed by the German U-155
(Adolph Piening) on May 20, 1942 at 0721 ship's time while en route from Curacao to
Cape Town, South Africa with a full cargo of Bunker C oil, in Convoy OT-1 in position
11-22 N./62-14 W. This vessel left Curacao on May l8th in convoy with the British
tanker BETHANCURIA and the Norwegian freighter RAPANA escorted by HMS HAVELOCK
(H-88) and HMS LAVENDER (K-60).
The ship's complement was made up of 38 crew members and 6 U.S. Naval Armed Guard.
One Navy gunner was lost.
The explosion of the torpedo blew fuel oil all over the tanker.In addition, the main
deck was blown upward and outward. The entire midship section of the ship abaft the
bridge was aflame with thick smoke. The ship continued speeding full ahead.
Boats #2 and #4 were launched. Boat #2 was safely launched even though burning fuel
oil had set the falls on fire. This boat, in charge of the Chief Mate, rowed around
the port bow to take off 22 men who were trapped on the bow by the flames. Boat #4
was safely launched with 12 men aboard in charge of the Chief Engineer. The forward
starboard boat (#1) was destroyed by fire.
The entire Naval Armed Guard remained aboard ship to right the sub in case it
surfaced but later were forced to aban don ship. They tried to launch #3 boat but
could not so they were forced to jump overboard. They were later picked up by the
USS BARNEY (DD-149) and not a moment too soon as they were coated with oil and
exhausted. The other two boats were picked up by the BARNEY also. All were taken to
Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The merchant crew became separated in two groups. The 26 men In #2 boat which was in
charge of the Chief Mate, were at Port of Spain awaiting repatriation. The remaining
12 crew members including the Master were engaged in at tempting to salvage the help.
The 26 men In Port of Spain were repatriated aboard the SS ROBERT E. LEE, arriving in
New Orleans safely.
After 3 days of searching for the damaged ship, towing procedures were put into
effect on May 26th. When the salvage tug began to tow the ship she began to rip apart
and break up. The towing attempt was abandoned. The SYLVAN ARROW settled deeper into
the sea, folding in the middle and sinking about 1700 on May 28th in position 12-50
N./67-32 W.
Captain Beck and his 11 men were taken to Curacao where they were cut off from the
main body of the crew which was in Port of Spain. They left Curacao aboard the Dutch
freighter, SS CRIJNSSEN on June 7, 1942. On June 10th, the CRIJNSSEN was torpedoed.
Captain Beck and 6 of his fellow crew members of the SYLVAN ARROW found themselves
in a lifeboat holding 31 persons including themselves. He assumed command of the
boat and set a course for the Yucatan coast of Mexico. Eventually the boat reached
the Mexican coast after being passed by several ships. Captain Beck and his 6 crew
members were finally repatriated from Chetumal, Mexico by air to Brownsville, Texas
and by train from there to New York.
The remaining 5 crew members of the SYLVAN ARROW were in another lifeboat from the
CRIJNSSEN. They were picked up by the SS LEBORE carrying a full load of coal to
Chile. On June 14th this ship was also torpedoed and they had to take to the boats
again. This time they were in a crowded boat for 3 days before being picked up by
the USS TATTNALL (DD 125) and landed at Cristobal. The boats were first sighted by a
Patrol plane.

The SS TAMBOUR, ex Finnish FIDRA, was taken over by the U.S. under Public Law #101 and
turned over to the War Shipping Administration at St. Thomas, V.I, on December 27, 1941.
The WSA in turn assigned the ship to the Alcoa SS Company on a Bareboat Charter on January
9, 1942. On May 2, 1942, Alcoa took over operation of the ship on a GAA agreement. The
registry of the ship was changed to the Republic of Panama. On May 2nd, Alcoa signed the
GAA agreement in Claymont, Delaware at 1400 EWT.
The Panamanian flag freighter, SS TAMBOUR, was torpedoed by the German U-174 (Heinrich
Bruns) at 0640 ship's time on September 26, 1942 in position 8-50 N./59-50 W., while en
route from Paramaribo, D.G. to Trinidad with a cargo of 2585 tons of Bauxite. The TAMBOUR
left New York on June 16, 1942 bound for Trinidad. At no time during the entire trip from
New York was there an escort for this ship.
On board was a complement of 29 merchant crew and 3 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. Eight (8) crew
members were lost including one American citizen. The crew was made up of 12 nationalities.
At 0605 local time, a torpedo struck the ship on the starboard side between #3 and #4
hatches well below the water line. The explosion caused the deck to blow up, blew down
the main mast, and cargo was blown high in the air. The TAMBOUR sank within one minute.
There was no time to launch boats. Survivors were either blown overboard or jumped
overboard and climbed on rafts which had floated free. The 24 survivors were picked up on
September 27th by the Norwegian SS THALATTA and landed at Port of Spain, Trinidad on
September 28th.

The U-175 (Bruns) was sunk April 17, 1943 in position 48-50 N./21-20 W. by the USCGC
SPENCER (WPG-36). There were 41 survivors. Thirteen were lost including the Commanding
Officer Bruns.

The SS TELA, a Honduran flag freighter, was Time Chartered to the War Shipping
Administration on May 31, 1942 at the Port of New Orleans.
The Honduran flag freighter, SS TELA, was torpedoed by the German U-504 (Fritz Poske) at
0001 EST on June 8, 1942 while en route alone from New Orleans to Puerto Limon, Costa
Rica via Panama City, Florida, with a full load of general cargo, in position 18-15
N./85-20 W. She left Panama City on June 4th.
On board was a complement of 50 merchant crew, 3 U.S. Naval Armed Guard, and one Costa
Rican passenger. Of this number, 11 crew members were lost. Two more crew members died
when the rescue ship MV PORT MONTREAL was herself torpedoed. Two of the 13 crew members
lost were Americans. None of the Navy gunners were lost.
The TELA was hit by two torpedoes. The 1st hit on the port side in the engine room
demolishing the entire area. The 2nd hit on e same side at #3 hatch setting the ship on
fire. The TELA sunk at 0006 EST listing to port and then plunging by the stern.
The TELA was abandoned in two boats and 2 rafts. Eventually, all the survivors were placed
in the two boats. They were picked up at 1230 EST on June 8th by the British MV PORT
MONTREAL. On June 10, 1942 at 0505 EST, the PORT MONTREAL was torpedoed by the U-88
(Mertens) in position 12-17 N./80-21 W. All the survivors of the TELA abandoned safely
in the two boats that got away from the PORT MONTREAL. These boats were picked up at 1715
EST on June 16 by the Colombian schooner HILDA and landed at Cristobal at 0700 EST on
June 16th. Two crew members of the TELA died in the boats and were buried at sea.

The U-504 (Luis) was sunk on July 30, 1943 NW of Cape Ortegal, Spain in position 45-33
N./10-47 W. by British destroyers. There were no survivors.

The Panamanian flag tanker, MS WINKLER, was Time Chartered to the War Shipping
Administration at Aruba on April 20, 1942.
The Panamanian flag tanker, MS WINKLER, was torpedoed by the German U-223 (Karl Wachter)
on February 23, 1943 at 0710 while en route from Avonmouth to New York via Belfast, No.
Ireland in ballast, in Convoy ON 166 (#63).
The WINKLER left Belfast on February 11th. Extremely rough weather was encountered and on
the 19th of February
the convoy was only 600 miles from Ireland. On February 22nd at 2310 ship's time, one of
the 4 diesel engines broke down causing the speed to be reduced to 8 knots while repairs
were made. This caused the ship to fall astern of its original position (#63). At 0410
on February 23rd she had become the last ship in the convoy. At this time a torpedo hit
the ship on its port side between #2 and #3 tanks. This torpedo was fired by the U-628
(Heinrich Hasenschar) in position 46-48 N./36-18 W. The ship was only damaged.
A survey showed the ship to be in good condition except for a slight list to port. At
0445, a sub surfaced about 500 yards directly ahead. The forward gun crew fired 5 shells
at the conning tower scoring one possible hit as an explosion was seen. The crash dived
at once.
At this time, survivors in lifeboats from another ship (SS GLITTRE, a Norwegian tanker,
torpedoed by the U-628) signaled with a light to pick them up. The Master decided to
pick them up and spent about 2 hours maneuvering to rescue them. About 0630, a corvette,
HMS DIANTHUS, came upon the scene and ordered the Master to rejoin the convoy and to
zigzag. The DIANTHUS followed the WINKLER after pick-up of the survivors in the boats.
At 0710 on February 23rd, with the gun crew still at battle stations and the crew at
general quarters, two torpedos struck the ship on the port quarter, blowing out the
bottom of the ship and causing her to sink within 45 seconds. The ship was not zigzagging
at the time of this attack. These torpedoes were fired by the U-223.
It was impossible to launch any boats. Therefore all hands jumped overboard and clung to
a raft which had been let go. The U-223 dove under the survivors so the DIANTHUS was
unable to drop any depth charges.
The DIANTHUS picked up all the survivors at 0755 and headed for St. John's, Newfoundland
arriving there about 0800 on February 26th. All the survivors were taken to Argentia on
February 28 where they boarded the SS PONTIAC for Boston.
The ship's complement was made up of 33 merchant crew and 18 U.S. Naval Armed Guard. Of
this number, 14 crew members and 5 Navy gunners were lost. Three of the crew members were
Americans.

The U-628 (Hasenschar) was sunk July 3, 1943 in position 44-11 N./08-45 W. by RAF Sqdr.
#224. There were no survivors. The U-223 (Peter Gerlach) was sunk north of Palermo,
Sicily on March 30, 1944 by several British escort vessels. There were 27 survivors
who were taken prisoner.

The MS ZAANDAM, a Dutch cargo-passenger ship, was torpedoed by the German U-174 (Ulrich
Thilo) on November 2, 1942 at 1627 local time, while en route from Capetown to New York
with a cargo of 7000 tons of Copper and Chrome ore plus 600 tons of general cargo. The
ship was in a zigzag pattern at the time. The attack took place in 01-25 N./36-22 W.
(About 400 miles north of Receife, Brazil).
On board was a total of 299 persons consisting of 130 crew members and U.S. Naval Armed
Guard. The remaining 169 persons were passengers being repatriated back to the U.S. Most
of them were crew members and Armed Guard personnel, survivors from 5 Allied ships that
had been previously torpedoed. Of this number 134 men were lost and 165 survived.
The torpedoed Atlied ships were the U.S. flag freighers COLORADAN, EXAMELIA, CHICKASAW
CITY, SWIFTSURE, and the Panamanian flag freighter FIRETHORN.
At 1627 local time, a torpedo slammed into the port side in the area of the engine room.
The tremendous explosion demolished the decks above and the crew's quarters. The main
engines were wiped out and the entire engine room flooded.
The steering gear was also put out of action. The ship continued to flood rapidly on an
even keel as the way was lost.
About 10 minutes after the 1st torpedo hit, another one struck on the port side between
#2 and #3 hatches. The ZAANDAM immediately plunged by the bow and was out of sight in
less than two minutes.
After the first torpedo hit, the crew prepared to abandon ship but the Master ordered the
men out of the boats saying it was only a minor explosion in the engine room.
He determined that a cylinder head had blown on one of the diesel engines.
Ensign dames Maddox, the Gunnery Officer in charge of the U.S. Naval Armed Guard unit on
the ZAANDAM, ordered his men to man their Battle Stations but the Master told him it was
just an internal explosion. Ensign Maddox argued with the Master saying the ship had been
torpedoed. Those precious few minutes between the 1st and 2nd torpedo resulted in the loss
of many more lives.
After the 2nd torpedo hit, #1-2-4 boats were launched along with 2 or 3 rafts. All the
other boats were destroyed by the explosions. #2 boat capsized but was turned upright in
the water. A number of men were forced to jump overboard and swim to the boats and rafts.
Sharks, attracted by the blood of the wounded, caused much confusion and some casualties.
At 1645 the U-174 surfaced near Boats #2 and #4. After surfacing a young officer and 5
others climbed out on the conning tower. The officer, speaking poor English, ordered the
nearest boat to row around to the starboard side. When the boat arrived alongside, the
officer asked the following questions which were answered by the 2nd Mate of the ZAANDAM,
K. Karssen.

Q. What ship?
A. ZAANDAM!

Q. Where from?
A. Capetown!

Q. Where to?
A. New York!

Q. Any injured?
A. Yes!

Q. We have no doctor on board. Are You a Raider?
A. No!

Q. Why such a large number of passengers?
A. They are survivors from other torpedoed ships!

Boats #1 and #4 containing 72 and 34 survivors respectively were picked up at 0900 GCT
on November 7th by the U.S. tanker SS GULFSTATE. Two of the survivors died on that ship.
Four other survivors, who were badly wounded, were transferred to the USS WINSLOW
(DD-359) on November 8th and were landed at Belem, Brazil where they were hospitalized.
All four recovered from their wounds. Their names are as follows:

BYNES, Anthony
LANDMAN, Charles J.
HOEN, Henrich
BELTMAN, R. Johannes

A.B.
--
--
--

SS MALAY
SS CHICKASAW CITY
MS ZAANDAM
MS ZAANDAM

Lifeboat #2 which had overturned upon launching was righted by several survivors in the
water. When it was righted they found the bodies of the Chief Engineer of the ZAANDAM
(Ebbeler) and a Javanese crew member of the ZAANDAM.
The men climbed into the boat and proceeded to pick up survivors in the water and from
rafts in the vicinity until there were 60 persons aboard. They continued to search until
no more could be found. Supplies of water and other items were transferred from the rafts
to the boats.
The boat itself had been damaged and leaked in several places. There were many attempts to
secure the leaks but it was necessary to bail the boat continuously.
The boat, under the command of W. Broekhof, a 2nd Mate on the ZAANDAM, made a landfall on
November 10th after many days of bad weather and other ships passing them by without
stopping. They landed in the area of Rio Preguigas near the town of Barreirinhas, Brazil.
Shortly after landing two men died. They were Laurence Olsen, an A.B. from the SWIFTSURE
and Seitze Stenekes, an A.B. from ZAANDAM. They were later buried in Barreirinhas.
With the help of a lcoal fisherman, Broekhof and Captain Matthews of the SW1FTSURE sailed
a boat to the village of Pharo. Finding no one there to help, Captain Matthews went back
to the beach and Broekhof borrowed a horse and rode to the nearest police station.
From there he informed the British Consul in the town of Paranaiba, Brazil of the
situation. The British Consul notified the American Consul in Belem. He made arrangements
to have the survivors picked up from the beach and taken to Sao Luis, Brazil where they
were hospitalized. After leaving the hospital they were transported to Belem aboard the
Norwegian freighter BANADEROS. From Belem they were flown to New York via Miami.

plus 10 members of the Steward's Dept. from Java.
U.S. MERCHANT SEAMEN LOST ON THE MS ZAANDAM
To find the names of those lost, see Pages 522, 581, and 582.
See lists for ZAANDAM, COLORADAN, EXAMELIA,and SWIFTSURE.

NOTE: The lifeboat with 72 survivors on board was in charge of K. Karssen, 2nd
Officer of the ZAANDAM. The boat with 34 aboard was in charge of J. DeLange, a
deck officer on the ZAANDAM. Unfortunately, there are no records in the National
Archives showing the number of U.S.N. Armed Guard lost from the SS SWIFTSURE.

83 DAYS ON A RAFT FROM THE MS ZAANDAM
A raft with 16 survivors aboard, unseen by the 3 lifeboats, was still floatin in
the area of the sinking. One of the 16 men, Cornelius Van Der Sloat, a 40-year-old
Oiler from the ZAANDAM, sighted another raft empty of people. As the raft he was on
was overcrowded, he jumped overboard and swam to the empty raft. Within the next
two hours he was joined by three other survivors. They were Ensign James Maddox,
the 30-year-old Officer in charge of the ZAANDAM Armed Guard contingent.; George
Beezely, a U.S. Navy Armed Guard from the SS EXAMELIA; and Nicko Hoogendam, a
17-year-old A.B. from the MS FIRETHORN.
Basil Izzi, a 20-year-old U.S. Navy Armed Guard stationed aboard the ZAANDAM, had
jumped overboard after the 2nd torpedo struck. He had been clinging to various
pieces of wreckage for nearly two days. Near the end of the 2nd day he spotted a
raft with 4 men aboard. He swam to the raft and was pulled aboard. This made a
total of five men on the raft. On the 60th day, Beezley became ill. In spite of the
good care of the others he died on the 66th day. He was buried at sea with Ensign
Maddox conducting the service. On the 73rd day, Maddox became ill and died. As the
days passed, the situation became critical for the three survivors.
On the 83rd day they heard the noise of an airplane engine. The plane was seen but
it disappeared later. At this time they lost hope that they had been seen. But on
the next day, the 83rd, smoke was seen on the horizon. Soon a convoy was seen
escorted by Navy ships.
On board of one of the escorts, the PC 576, the raft was spotted by a lookout,
Seaman 3c B. DeWitte. Soon the PC 576 was alongside the raft and took the 3
survivors aboard. Van Der Sloat was the only one who could still stand and walk.
They were fed liquid food for 2 days. They were landed at Pernambuco, Brazil where
they spent 6 weeks in a hospital. They were then flown to Miami and then to the
U.S. Navy hospital in Bethesda where they fully recovered.
For having spotted the raft, Seaman DeWitte was promoted to S1c.